Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority

What Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority does

Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) is a Pennsylvania municipal transit authority, established in 1973, that operates public bus transportation throughout Berks County and the City of Reading. The authority is managed and administered by the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA), which also oversees Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA) serving Lancaster County. BARTA runs a fleet of 50 fixed-route buses across approximately 20 routes, supplemented by BARTA Special Services, a paratransit program offering shared-ride door-to-door transportation for seniors aged 65 and older, persons with disabilities (ADA, PWD programs), and Medical Assistance recipients (MATP). The network is anchored by the BARTA Transportation Center (BTC) at 701 Franklin Street, a centralized hub operating roughly 19 hours per day, and includes two public parking garages (Queen Street and Christian Street) that contribute ancillary revenue.

The authority's technology stack centers on Avail Technologies' BusFinder real-time GPS tracking system (accessible via web and the myStop mobile platform) and the BARTA Go Mobile contactless fare payment smartphone application, supported by GoMobile smart cards and the ModeShift-powered mobile experience. Operations are integrated with PennDOT's statewide Find My Ride Apply platform for paratransit enrollment, with LanguageLine Solutions providing translation services and the PA Relay Service (711) supporting hearing-impaired customers. The organization complies with Title VI, ADA Reasonable Modifications, and Equal Employment Opportunity requirements under federal and Pennsylvania transit law.

BARTA's revenue model combines farebox transactions (one fare for any destination within the service area, free transfers), paratransit co-pays averaging about 15% of trip cost, monthly and daily parking fees, advertising sold through Vector Media (interior bus, exterior bus, and bus shelter), and public operating subsidies that flow through SCTA procurement. Customers include the general commuting public, seniors, persons with disabilities, Medical Assistance recipients, and students at eight regional colleges served by dedicated or discounted routes. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via physical bus stops, the BTC, the website, BusFinder, BARTA Go Mobile, social channels, and email/text alerts.

Name

Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority

Legal name

Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority

Website

https://bartabus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA), founded in 1973 and managed by the South Central Transit Authority, operates 50 fixed-route buses and paratransit services across Berks County, PA, serving general commuters, seniors, persons with disabilities, Medical Assistance recipients, and regional college students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transit Services

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Special Needs Transportation (485991)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional/County Public Bus Operators (THAIAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

ADA/Accessible Paratransit (Complementary to Fixed-Route Transit) (THAIAHAA)

Keywords

• Public bus transit
• Paratransit services
• Fixed route bus
• ADA transportation
• Mobile fare payment

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Transit Fares: Revenue generated from cash fares, passes, and smart card payments collected from bus riders. One fare applies for anywhere riders want to travel within the service area.
2. Special Services Fares: Paratransit shared-ride services for seniors, persons with disabilities, and Medical Assistance recipients with co-pays averaging 15% of trip cost
3. Parking Fees: Revenue from daily, monthly, and business parking at Queen Street and Christian Street parking garages
4. Advertising: Revenue from interior bus advertising, exterior bus advertising, and bus shelter advertising through Vector Media partnership

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BARTA provides fixed-route public bus transportation and BARTA Special Services paratransit/shared-ride services throughout Berks County, Pennsylvania. The authority supplements its transit operations with digital rider tools—BusFinder for real-time bus tracking and the BARTA Go Mobile app with GoMobile Smart Card for contactless fare payment—and operates parking facilities in its service area.

Product overview

BARTA operates as a public transit authority providing fixed-route bus transportation and paratransit services throughout Berks County, PA since 1973. The core service offering consists of fixed-route bus transportation across 20+ routes, complemented by BARTA Special Services paratransit programs for seniors, persons with disabilities, and Medical Assistance recipients. Digital services include BusFinder (real-time GPS-based bus tracking via Avail Technologies) and BARTA Go Mobile (contactless mobile fare payment). Ancillary services include public parking garages and reusable GoMobile smart cards for fare payment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BARTA Special Services: Paratransit and shared-ride transportation services for seniors and persons with disabilities.
• BARTA Go Mobile
• Bus Finder

Products and services

• Fixed-Route Bus Service Scheduled fixed-route bus service operating approximately 50 buses across Berks County, Pennsylvania, available to the general public with published routes, timetables, and stops.
• BARTA Special Services (Paratransit / Shared-Ride)

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Avail TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Avail Technologies to provide real-time bus tracking system (Bus Finder), powered by GPS technology. System allows riders to plan trips, find bus locations, receive email alerts, and access up-to-date schedules.
• Vector MediaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVector Media handles bus advertising sales including interior bus cards, exterior advertising, and bus shelter advertising in high-traffic areas across Reading.
• PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFind My Ride Apply platform allows online applications for transportation services across Pennsylvania. BARTA participates in this state-wide system for seniors, persons with disabilities, and those needing medical transportation assistance.
• South Central Transit Authority (SCTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCTA is responsible for management and administration of BARTA, conducting all procurement activities and overseeing public transit services for Reading and Lancaster communities. SCTA also manages RRTA (Red Rose Transit Authority).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA): LANTA provides fixed-route bus service and ADA paratransit in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton), a similar mid-sized PA metropolitan area. Comparable fleet scale, fixed-route/paratransit dual offering, public authority governance, and tech stack (real-time tracking + mobile fare app).
• Capital Area Transit (CAT) - Harrisburg: CAT operates fixed-route bus service, paratransit, and rabbittransit branded services in the Harrisburg metro area. Comparable size, mix of fixed-route and paratransit, county/regional authority structure, and similar Pennsylvania market dynamics.
• Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA): RRTA provides fixed-route bus service and paratransit in Lancaster County, PA and is managed alongside BARTA by the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA). Operationally and structurally near-identical: same parent, similar revenue mix, same fleet size, same paratransit programs. The closest possible peer.
• Schuylkill Transportation System (STS): STS operates fixed-route bus service and paratransit in Schuylkill County, PA. Comparable small PA transit authority with similar service area demographics, fleet size, and paratransit offerings.
• Westmoreland Transit: Westmoreland Transit provides fixed-route and shared-ride paratransit in Westmoreland County, PA. Comparable small-to-mid-sized PA transit authority with similar service area demographics and revenue mix.
• Beaver County Transit Authority: Small PA fixed-route and paratransit authority serving Beaver County. Similar size, structure, and program mix; useful for benchmarking small-rural PA authority operations.
• Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran): CamTran operates fixed-route bus service and ACCESS paratransit in Cambria County (Johnstown area), PA. Smaller-scale rural/small-urban PA transit authority with similar program mix (fixed route + ADA paratransit) and funding model.
• Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA): CATA operates fixed-route bus and paratransit in the State College area (Centre County), PA. Comparable scale and structure as a PA municipal authority serving a college-town market, with similar high college-student ridership composition to BARTA.

Broad incumbents

• SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority): SEPTA is the dominant multi-modal transit operator serving the Philadelphia metro (bus, rail, trolley, subway). While far larger, it is the principal incumbent PA transit operator and provides scale/digital benchmarks (SEPTA Key fare card) relevant to BARTA's BARTA Go Mobile trajectory.
• Access Services: Access Services is the largest ADA paratransit operator in the country, serving the LA metro. Relevant as a scaled benchmark for the paratransit arm of BARTA Special Services, though dramatically larger and embedded in LA Metro's broader transit network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bartabus
• Facebookfacebook.com/BARTA-Transportation-106287394600749
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berks-area-reading-transportation-authority

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority