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.[1]
Routes
The WRTA currently provides fixed route bus service to Auburn, Boylston, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Leicester, Millbury, Northbridge, Oxford, Shrewsbury, Spencer, Webster, West Boylston, and Worcester. In addition to its fixed route bus service, the WRTA provides Community Shuttle Flex Van Service (limited shuttle service) to Grafton, Northbridge, and Westborough.[2] 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
| Route #[3] | Route Name[3] |
|---|---|
| 1 | Union Station Hub - Mount St. Ann via Providence St. |
| 2 | Union Station Hub - Tatnuck Square via Pleasant St. |
| 3 | Union Station Hub - Worcester State University via Highland St. |
| 4 | Union Station Hub - The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley/Millbury Ctr via Millbury St. |
| 5 | Union Station Hub - Massasoit Rd via Grafton St. and Blithwood St |
| 8 | Park Ave Connector |
| 6 | Union Station Hub - West Tatnuck via Chandler St. |
| 7 | Union Station Hub - Washington Heights Apts. |
| 11 | Union Station Hub - The Fair Plaza via Vernon Hill and Greenwood St. |
| 14 | Union Station Hub - Showcase Cinemas/Holden via Burncoat St. |
| 15 | Union Station Hub - UMass- South Gate Shrewsbury |
| 16 | Union Station Hub - Lincoln Plaza via Hamilton St. & Lake Ave. |
| 19 | Union Station Hub - Webster Square Plaza or Goddard Dr or Leicester (or Spencer) DPW - Clark University via Main St. |
| 23 | Union Station Hub - East Mountain Street via Lincoln St. |
| 24 | Union Station Hub - UMass Medical Center via Belmont St. |
| 25 | Union Station Hub - Webster Square Plaza via Canterbury & Southbridge St. |
| 26 | Union Station Hub - Great Brook Valley via Lincoln St. |
| 27 | Union Station Hub - Auburn Mall via Main St. |
| 29 | Union Station Hub - Southbridge - Charlton. |
| 30 | Union Station Hub - W. Boylston Wal-Mart via Grove St. & W. Boylston St. |
| 31 | Union Station Hub - Lincoln Plaza via Grove St. & West Boylston St. |
| 33 | Union Station Hub - Spencer - Brookfield via Main St. & Rt. 9 |
| 42 | Union Station Hub - Oxford - Webster via Southbridge St. & Rt. 12 |
Community Shuttle Flex Van Service
| Route[3] | Route Name[3] |
|---|---|
| Route A | Northbridge Walmart - Shoppes at Blackstone Valley via Fisherville |
| Route B | New Village - Rockdale - Stop & Stop - Grafton MBTA Station |
| Westborough Shuttle | Westborough MBTA to Computer Drive (Commuter) / Westborough Local |
| Southbridge, Dudley, Webster Shuttle | via routes 29 & 42 |
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. [4]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Worcester Regional Transit Authority Schedules". therta.com. 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ a b c d "Worcester Regional Transit Authority Schedules". therta.com. 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ "Overview of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority". Mass.Gov. Office of the State Auditor. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
External links
Nickname(s): The City of the Seven Hills, The Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, Woo-town, The Woo | ||
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