The No. 1 by the numbers
Contrary to what its number might suggest, the No. 1 is not the oldest bus route in Boston. Buses began running in the city in 1922, along a portion of what is now Route 64 between Allston's Union Square and Faneuil Street.
But the No. 1 bus has a long history, getting its number 40 years ago. According to Clinton Bench, manager of transit-services planning for the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization, the lowest numbers were originally assigned to subway lines. The Red Line was Route 1, while the Orange Line was Route 2, Bench said. Meanwhile, what's now called the No. 1 bus route used to be two lines -- one going from Harvard Square to what is now the Hynes Convention Center station; the other running from there to Dudley Square.
In 1962, the two lines were merged, and sometime in 1967, when the Cambridge-Ashmont subway became officially known as the Red Line, the No. 1 was assigned to the Massachusetts Avenue bus because MBTA officials knew the route would be one of the busiest in the system, Bench said.
Acording to Bench, an average of 12,758 people board No. 1 buses daily. The only busier lines are the No. 39, between Forest Hills and the Back Bay (14,400); and No. 23, from Ashmont to Ruggles stations (12,910).
Boston does not have a No. 2 or a No. 3 bus. The No. 2, which traveled between South Station and North Station, was eliminated recently, Bench said. This route is now served by the No. 4 bus. The No. 3, which operated between South Station and Logan International Airport, was eliminated because it traveled the same path as the new Silver Line, Bench said.
JULIE MASIS 