Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) is a public, non-profit organization charged with providing

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...

to the city of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and the surrounding towns. The WRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the

Massachusetts General Laws The Massachusetts General Laws is a codification of many of the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth's laws are promulgated by an elected bicameral ("two-chamber") legislative body, the Massachusetts General Court. The ...

. 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 2026.

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 $ million in ) 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. Before the free-fare system, fare revenues covered just 7% of the WRTA's expenses, coming in at $3 million in FY2019. In 2020, WRTA made the bus service free to ride. Currently, the fare-free program is extended until June 2026. In fiscal year 2024, the WRTA provided 4.5 million rides, the highest of any year in the 21st century and coming after pandemic-era lows of 875,000 in 2020.

Routes

The WRTA currently provides fixed route

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

service to

, and the surrounding towns of Auburn, Brookfield, East Brookfield,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, Millbury,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

, 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 Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...

. The WRTA also provides

paratransit Paratransit (also community transport in the United Kingdom, or intermediate public transport) is a type of public transport service that supplements fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. P ...

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

Community Shuttle Flex Van Service

Fleet

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority operates a fleet of 46

Gillig Low Floor The Gillig Low Floor (originally named Gillig H2000LF and also nicknamed Gillig Advantage) is a transit bus manufactured by Gillig since 1997. Introduced as a second product range by the company (alongside the Gillig Phantom), the Low Floor la ...

buses, 6 Proterra EcoRide

battery electric bus A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source. Battery electric buses offer the potential for z ...

es, and 35 Ford E350

minibus A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...

es.

References

External links

WRTA official website
{{Authority control Bus transportation in Massachusetts Transportation in Worcester, Massachusetts