Franklin Regional Transit Authority
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| Slogan | Proudly serving Franklin County since 1978 |
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| Parent | Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | John W. Olver Transit Center, 12 Olive Street, Suite 1, Greenfield, Massachusetts, United States |
| Service area | Franklin County, Hampshire County, Worcester County |
| Service type | fixed-route bus service, demand response service, and paratransit service |
| Routes | 8 fixed routes |
| Hubs | John W. Olver Transit Center |
| Fleet | 8 buses, 32 vans |
| Daily ridership | 155,000 (annual; 2010) |
| Operator | Franklin Transit Management, Inc. |
| Website | www.frta.org |
The Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) is a regional transit authority which provides public transportation principally to Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, both in Massachusetts. The FRTA is based in the county seat of Greenfield, Massachusetts.
The FRTA was established in 1978 with then implementation of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 161B, which gave rise to several regional transit authorities throughout Massachusetts. FRTA is the largest public transit authority in Massachusetts land-wise.
In 1999, the FRTA and the Fitchburg-based Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) cooperated to form a route to Athol and Orange, Massachusetts, linking Greenfield to the MART terminal in Gardner.
Although not in the FRTA service area, public bus service between Greenfield and Northampton began in 2000.
In 2006, the FRTA assumed the responsibility of providing transportation services for the towns of Greenfield and Montague, when the former Greenfield Montague Transportation Area (GMTA) transit authority became unfunded by the state Department of Transporation.
In 2013, Athol voted to withdraw from the FRTA service district, and instead voted to join MART, necessitating that the former Greenfield/Athol route be truncated in Orange.
FRTA public transportation service is only available Monday through Friday; there is no weekend service. Fares are $1.25 system-wide, with free transfers at the John W Olver (JWO) Transit Center in downtown Greenfield and Aveneue A and Third Street in Turners Falls. Passengers with statewide Access Passes or ADA cards, active military personnel, veterans, Medicare card holders, students through grade 12 and persons over 60 pay half-price ($0.60) fares, while passengers with Commission for the Blind cards and children under five accompanied by fare paying adults ride for free. FRTA is classified as a 'rural' transit authority.
Map of the service area: (http://frta.org/wp-content/uploads/System-Map.pdf)
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Wikipedia