MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
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Map of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) service area in green with the central hub town of Framingham in blue.
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| Founded | 2006 |
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| Headquarters | Framingham, Massachusetts |
| Locale | MetroWest, Massachusetts |
| Service area | Ashland, Dover, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Natick, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston |
| Service type | Bus, Paratransit |
| Alliance | 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership MetroWest/495 Transportation Management Association Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce MetroWest Chamber of Commerce MetroWest Growth Management Committee Transaction Associates, Inc. |
| Routes | Sixteen bus routes |
| Hubs | Framingham, Massachusetts |
| Fleet | 20 Ford E-Series cutaways |
| Annual ridership | 484,000 (FY2014) |
| Operator | First Transit |
| Administrator | Ed Carr |
| Website | MWRTA.com |
The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) is a regional public transit authority in the state of Massachusetts providing bus and paratransit service to eleven communities in the Boston MetroWest. The MWRTA was formed in 2006 and began service on July 1, 2007 with the purpose of filling a void in public transportation service in the MetroWest. Through a commitment to deliver expanded public transportation service to the business and commercial hubs across the MetroWest region, the goals and purpose of the MWRTA are embodied in its mission statement: "Build a public transportation system to deliver convenient and dependable service that enhances mobility, environmental quality and economic vitality in the region." Funding for the MWRTA comes partially from the state and local governments of the communities it operates within.
Paratransit service is a flexible passenger transportation service which does not follow fixed routes or schedules. According to ADA requirements, the MWRTA must provide paratransit service as a curb-to-curb service to eligible residents having a physical, cognitive, or mental disability within a 3/4 mile radius of a fixed route regular bus service. In addition, MWRTA paratransit service is also provided to eligible residents within any of its eleven member communities. All MWRTA buses are equipped with lift systems to accommodate the physically handicapped along their regular fixed routes. The MWRTA also provides paratransit service to MWRTA service area border towns at an increased fare. The paratransit service is provided in the form of a call-ahead multi-passenger shuttle allowing disabled residents of MWRTA communities to be picked up at their houses and shuttled to any other location within or bordering the MWRTA service region, such as other residences, grocery stores, hospitals, or job sites.
Prior to the creation of the MWRTA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provided part of its paratransit service, called The RIDE (see MBTA accessibility) to the two communities of Framingham and Natick within the current MWRTA service area. The MBTA continue to provide The RIDE to Framingham and Natick until 2009 under contractual obligations. On July 1, 2009, administration of paratransit service to Framingham and Natick switched from the MBTA to MWRTA in alignment with the change in assessments paid to the MWRTA by those communities rather than to the MBTA.
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