RouteĮast Penn Manufacturing Company-Deka in LyonsĨth Street/9th Street, Kutztown Road, U.S. Current routes īARTA operates most of its present route network on a hub and spoke type system, in which most passengers transfer between routes at a central location, the BARTA Transportation Center. On December 1, 2014, the South Central Transit Authority was formed to oversee BARTA and the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) in Lancaster County. Kilmer is currently the executive director. He became the executive director at BARTA in 1983, and he was the executive director for 30 years until his death. Louwerse, the long-time executive director/CEO at BARTA, died on Thursday, September 5, 2013, at the age of 68.

However, BARTA discontinued its service to Lebanon on January 31, 2014, due to low ridership. This service replaced previously abandoned coach service operated by Bieber Tourways, on July 1, 2013. In September 2013, BARTA expanded its service on a trial basis to Lebanon with connecting service on Lebanon Transit to Harrisburg. The former Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station was refurbished and reopened to bus service on September 9, 2013. In 2010, BARTA became a county authority, overseen by the County of Berks, reflecting its focus on regionalism instead of centralism on the city of Reading. The agency also started investing in electric-diesel hybrid buses. The same year, a new logo for BARTA and paint scheme for buses was introduced. In 2005, the BARTA Park-N-Transit garage with 350 parking spaces opened at 7th and Franklin streets. The BARTA Transportation Center at 7th and Cherry streets opened in 2002 to serve as a hub for BARTA buses. As part of this, Penn Street between 4th and 6th streets was restored and bus shelters and berths were built.

A grant from the Federal Transit Administration in 1993 allowed BARTA to eliminate the pedestrian mall along Penn Street in downtown Reading and reopen the road to traffic. In 1992, BARTA became the first small public transit agency in the United States to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses. The BARTA Special Services paratransit service was formed in 1978 when 33 social service agencies in Berks County consolidated their transportation systems. On October 8, 1973, BARTA began bus operations. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 2,098,200, or about 8,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023.īARTA was created with the cooperation of the Berks County and the City of Reading in 1973 to purchase the failing Reading Bus Company. The South Central Transit Authority owns BARTA and the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA).

BARTA bus 0534 in downtown Reading on the Route 16 lineīerks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA), previously Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority, is a public transportation system serving the city of Reading and its surrounding area of Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Barta bus route 15