Charter Bus Pickup & Dropoff Guide for Boston Arenas & Stadiums

Charter Bus Guide to Boston Arenas & Stadiums

If you’re planning to book a Boston charter bus rental to attend an event in the city, it helps to have a thorough understanding of where you can park, unload, and pick up passengers at Boston’s most popular arenas and stadiums. From sports team transportation on gameday at the TD Garden to private event transportation for a concert at Gillette Stadium let us be your guide to safely and efficiently using a charter bus rental in Boston during major events.

Operating a Charter Bus in Boston

Event planners and transportation coordinators can review the City of Boston’s official guideline for tour buses to understand the ins and outs of bus travel in the city. They also have a map of all designated tour bus stops in Boston so you can plan out where to legally load and unload your group. These spots are always curbside and marked by two types of signs:

• A “Tour Bus Stop” sign is where a charter bus can briefly park for up to 15 minutes while passengers load on or off the bus.
• A “Tour Bus Parking” sign allows short-term parking for up to 3 hours.

It’s important to note that these signs aren’t the same as a “Sightseeing Trolley Stop” sign, which are exclusively for approved tour companies like CityView Trolley Tours. Private tour buses are not permitted to use them, and are also prohibited from using MBTA bus stops, metered spots, and commercial loading zones for loading/unloading or parking.

When it comes to parking, the most likely option for charter bus parking is The Boston Autoport at 100 Terminal Street in Charlestown. For a $65 fee, your driver can park your bus rental here while you’re attending an event at an arena or stadium in Boston. Services available include 24-hour security, a drivers’ dormitory, a fuel facility, and a rest area, and there is an option for overnight parking, if necessary. Also, you'll need to make a reservation ahead of time because the autoport can only accommodate up to 50 charter buses per day, and around major events it could fill up fast.

Chartering a Bus to Boston’s Biggest Arenas & Stadiums

Between heavy traffic, restricted streets, and congested parking lots that aren’t always motorcoach-friendly, it’s important to have your own game plan when attending an event at a big Boston stadium!

TD Garden

Charter Bus Pickup & Drop-off at TD Garden

There are no designated drop-off or pickup locations for any vehicles in front of TD Garden arena, but the closest designated “Tour Bus Stop” is nearby on Commercial Street, adjacent to Steriti Memorial Rink. This spot is about a 10 minute walk from the main entrance, which is located on Causeway Street. Commercial Street becomes Causeway Street once they intersect with North Washington Street, so it’s technically a straight walk heading southwest past the Eliot K-8 Innovation Upper School, Lovejoy Wharf, and Portal Park.

Charter Bus Parking at TD Garden

The North Station Garage is the arena’s main parking, however the maximum vehicle height is 6’8”, and most minibuses and charter buses won’t be able to fit. While planning your trip or event, we recommend parking at The Boston Autoport in Charlestown. You can contact them ahead of time to reserve a parking spot for your bus rental. The lot is about 15 minutes away, so when your event is over, you can contact your driver on your walk back to the “Tour Bus Stop” on Commercial Street for pickup.

Fenway Park

Charter Bus Pickup & Drop-off at Fenway Park

The narrow streets around Fenway Park are tough to navigate on an average day, never mind a game day, so pre-planning travel with a charter bus is necessary. Per the MLB’s guidelines for buses and oversized vehicles driving to Fenway Park, there are height restrictions on Storrow Drive and it’s very important that your driver doesn’t approach the stadium from that direction. Instead, it’s advised that your charter bus rental follow Brookline Avenue to Fenway Park where it’s common practice for local law enforcement to direct traffic to the correct loading/unloading zones.

Alternatively, based on the City of Boston’s official regulations, the closest designated “Tour Bus Stop” zone is on Dalton Street, in front of the Sheraton Boston Hotel, so your driver can self-park there. This stop is about a 15 minute walk to Fenway Park.

Charter Bus Parking at Fenway Park

The parking lots around Fenway Park are limited and fill up fast, and there is no guarantee that one can accommodate an oversized vehicle. Your charter bus driver can head to The Boston Autoport to park, which is about a 20-30 minute drive. There are no staging locations around Fenway Park, and it’s illegal for any vehicle to idle for more than 5 minutes, so you’ll need to contact your driver when your group is prepared to be picked up.

Gillette Stadium

Gillette Stadium—located in Foxborough, Massachusetts and outside of City of Boston transportation regulations—has specific instructions for where oversized vehicles can go during events.

Charter Bus Parking at Gillette Stadium

There is bus parking around the stadium in the lots north of Route 1, but the exact location varies depending on the event you’re attending:

• For New England Patriots football games, oversized vehicle parking is at Lot 52B. (Lot 52 is split into 52A or 52B, depending on the event, and 52B is the part of the lot with stall lines painted to fit a motorcoach or minibus.) Your driver can approach the lot heading southbound along the Boston-Providence Turnpike/Route 1 to the “P10 North” entrance. A permit is not needed to park, but there is a fee of $150 for oversized vehicles during Patriots games.
• For standard concerts, parking is at Lot 52 (A and B). To get to the lot, your driver can head southbound on the Boston-Providence Turnpike/U.S. Route 1 to the “P10 North” entrance or northbound to the “P10 South” entrance. You don’t need a permit for parking, but there is a fee of $150 for a concert.
• For New England Revolution soccer matches, the P10 entrances may not be open. In this case, oversized vehicles will be accommodated at the back of Lot 20 if traveling southbound or Lot 3C if traveling northbound. Parking at Revolution games is free.

It’s important to note that parking details can vary for other events, and Gillette Stadium officially recommends reviewing the guide for the event you’re attending to ensure the smoothest travel experience.

Charter Bus Pickup & Drop-off at Gillette Stadium

Pickup and drop-off are also located at Lot 52. Gillette Stadium has a map of recommended pedestrian routes for safe passage across Route 1 to the stadium, and its approximately a 10 to 15 minute walk from Lot 52. On gamedays and during events, pedestrian routes are clearly marked and there is a dedicated, traffic-controlled crosswalk across Route 1. Please note that drop-off/pickup is prohibited along Route 1 itself, and buses are not permitted to use the rideshare drop-off in Lot 15.