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Worcester Regional
Transit Authority

A WRTA route 27 bus at Auburn Mall in 2017
Founded	1974
Headquarters	WRTA Garage - 42 Quinsagamond Avenue WRTA Hub - 60 Foster St.
Locale	Worcester, Massachusetts
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Operator	Central Mass Transit Management
Website	therta.com

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

Community Shuttle Flex Van Service

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

1. 2018 MassDOT Annual Report on Regional Transit Authorities (PDF) (Report). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-05-03.
2. ^ Turken, Sam (2023-04-20). "Worcester area buses to remain free for at least another year". WGBH News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-23. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
3. Carlson, Stephen P.; Harding, Thomas W. (1985). Worcester Trolleys Remembered. Worcester Regional Transit Authority. pp. 5, 6.
4. • "Worcester Street Railway Sold to Boston Group". The Boston Globe. December 20, 1952. pp. 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
   • "Worcester Bus Transfer Given DPU's Approval". The Morning Union. December 31, 1952. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
   • "Hub Group Buys Bus Line". Athol Daily News. December 20, 1952. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "U.S. funds to provide 34 buses for Worcester". The Courier-Journal and Times. April 18, 1971. p. H2 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Worcester Firm May Cease Bus Service". The Morning Union. UPI. July 13, 1971. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bus Company Rescued". The Morning Union. July 31, 1971. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Subsidy Triggers Bus Shutdown Plan". Fitchburg Sentinel. August 16, 1973. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Perry, Neil L. (September 25, 1973). "Bus Company Subsidies Could Aid Ailing GMTA". The Recorder. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Sargent Signs Bus Subsidy Bill". The Morning Union. November 9, 1973. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
11. • King, Nick (July 2, 1975). "Brookline strike ends, others go on". The Boston Globe. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Worcester Bus Firm May Have To Close". Transcript-Telegram. August 6, 1975. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
    • "Commonwealth news". Daily Hampshire Gazette. August 29, 1975. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Bus suit dismissed". Daily Hampshire Gazette. August 24, 1977. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Transit Cooperative Research Program Legal Research Digest 41: Transit Labor 13(c) Employee Protection Digest (PDF). Transportation Research Board. pp. A-196 to A-213.
14. Michalek, Irene (June 7, 1978). "St. Railway Negotiates To Keep Regular Runs". The Republican. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Mayor Hits St. Railway On Costs, 'Problems'". The Republican. May 10, 1978. pp. 1, 8 – via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "Worcester Regional Transit Authority Schedules". therta.com. 2017-02-05. Archived from the original on 2016-09-10. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
17. "Overview of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority". Mass.Gov. Office of the State Auditor. 2018-08-03. Archived from the original on 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-01-08.

External links

• WRTA official website

v t e City of Worcester
Nickname(s): The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo
Topics	Media Public art Sports Airport City Hall and Common Tallest buildings
Education	Higher education Assumption College Becker College Clark University College of the Holy Cross MCPHS Quinsigamond Community College UMass Medical School Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester State University See also: Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts K-12 education Worcester Public Schools Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School Bancroft School Mass Academy of Math and Science Worcester Academy
Government	Fire Mayors Transit Authority
History	Historic places (eastern, northwestern, southwestern) List of mayors Notable residents Timeline Worcester firsts 1953 Worcester tornado 2021 Saint Vincent Hospital strike
Museums	American Antiquarian Society EcoTarium Higgins Armory Museum Worcester Art Museum Worcester Historical Museum
Sports teams	Current Massachusetts Pirates Worcester Bravehearts Worcester Railers Worcester Red Sox Former Worcester Blades Worcester IceCats Worcester Sharks Worcester Tornadoes Worcester Warriors
Worcester County Greater Boston Massachusetts United States

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