Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority
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BARTA bus 0534 in downtown Reading on the Route 16 line
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| Slogan | More than a ride! |
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| Founded | 1973 |
| Headquarters | 1700 North 11th Street Reading, PA 19604 |
| Service area | Berks County, Pennsylvania |
| Service type | public transit |
| Routes | 19 |
| Hubs | BARTA Transportation Center Reading, Pennsylvania |
| Fleet | 52 buses |
| Fuel type | Diesel, hybrid diesel electric |
| Website | http://www.bartabus.com |
Berks 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. The South Central Transit Authority owns BARTA and the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA).
BARTA was created with the cooperation of the Berks County and the City of Reading in 1973 to purchase the failing Reading Bus Company. On October 8, 1973, BARTA began bus operations. The BARTA Special Services paratransit service was formed in 1978 when 33 social service agencies in Berks County consolidated their transportation systems. In 1992, BARTA became the first small public transit agency in the United States to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses. 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. As part of this, Penn Street between 4th and 6th streets was restored and bus shelters and berths were built. The BARTA Transportation Center at 7th and Cherry streets opened in 2002 to serve as a hub for BARTA buses. In 2005, the BARTA Park-N-Transit garage with 350 parking spaces opened at 7th and Franklin streets. The same year, a new logo for BARTA and paint scheme for buses was introduced. The agency also started investing in electric-diesel hybrid buses. 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 former Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station was refurbished and reopened to bus service on September 9, 2013.
Dennis D. Louwerse, the long-time executive director/CEO at BARTA, died on Thursday, September 5, 2013 at the age of 68. He became the executive director at BARTA in 1983, and he was the executive director for 30 years until his death. David W. Kilmer is currently the executive director. On December 1, 2014, the South Central Transit Authority was formed to oversee BARTA and the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) in Lancaster County.
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