• Source: Worcester Regional Transit Authority

Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) is a public, non-profit organization charged with providing public transportation to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns. The WRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws. This act also created several other regional transit authorities in Massachusetts, including the Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority among others; in terms of ridership, the WRTA is the second largest regional transit authority and third largest transit system in Massachusetts.
WRTA buses have been free to ride since March 2020, making it the longest-running fare-free system of public transportation in the United States. Currently, the fare-free program is extended until June 2025.




History


Public transit in Worcester began with the Worcester Horse Railway in 1861. It was merged in 1887 into the Worcester Consolidated Street Railway, which electrified its lines between 1891 and 1893. The system grew through construction of city lines and acquisitions of suburban lines until the 1910s. It began replacing unprofitable lines with buses in 1924. In 1932, it was sold and reorganized as the Worcester Street Railway. Bus substitutions continued, with the final streetcars operating in 1945. In 1953, it was sold and renamed as the Worcester Bus Company.
In April 1971, the city received a $597,057 federal grant to purchase 34 new buses for the company to use. By that time, the company was in poor financial condition. In August 1973, the owners threatened to shut down the company. The company received a one-year, $300,000 state subsidy (equivalent to $1.9 million in 2023) as part of legislation in November 1973 that also established regional transit authorities.
The WRTA was created in September 1974 along with several other regional transit authorities in Massachusetts, including the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. Daily ridership on the Worcester Bus Company had dropped to 20,000 by July 1975, when a two-month strike again nearly collapsed the company. The company lost the Worcester Public Schools bus contract, which it had held for decades, in 1977. The WRTA purchased the company's assets in 1978. On June 30, 1978, the WRTA contract switched to a different company to run the system; with no more operating contracts, the Worcester Bus Company was closed.
In 2020, WRTA made the bus service free to ride. On April 20, 2023, the WRTA extended the policy. Currently, the fare-free program is extended until June 2025.




Routes


The WRTA currently provides fixed route bus service to Worcester, and the surrounding towns of Auburn, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Leicester, Millbury, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Southbridge, Spencer, Webster, West Boylston. In addition to its fixed route bus service, the WRTA provides Community Shuttle Flex Van Service (limited shuttle service) to Grafton, Northbridge, and Westborough. The WRTA also provides paratransit service to a total of 37 communities in Central Massachusetts.
The WRTA's Operations and Maintenance Center is located at 42 Quinsigamond Ave in Worcester's Green Island Neighborhood. This new garage replaces the old one, meant to be a trolley yard, holding just 1/2 of the new capacity. The WRTA's previous facility is now home to a shopping center.




= Fixed Route Bus Service

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= Community Shuttle Flex Van Service

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Fleet


The Worcester Regional Transit Authority operates a fleet of 46 Gillig Low Floor buses, 6 Proterra EcoRide battery electric buses, and 35 Ford E350 minibuses.




See also


Free public transport in Massachusetts




References






External links


WRTA official website

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• MBTA Commuter Rail
• Bandar Udara Internasional Logan
• Jalur ganda
• Daftar julukan kota di Amerika Serikat
• Worcester Regional Transit Authority
• Union Station (Worcester, Massachusetts)
• Pioneer Valley Transit Authority
• Regional Transit Authority
• Worcester Regional Airport
• Greater Boston
• Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
• Montachusett Regional Transit Authority
• Free public transport in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority