Brookings Area Transit Authority

Name

Brookings Area Transit Authority

Legal name

Brookings Area Transit Authority, Inc.

Website

https://batabus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides door-to-door and fixed-route public transportation across Brookings County, South Dakota, serving the general public, youth, elderly, and disabled riders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transportation Services

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAFAGAB

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Operators

Transportation & Logistics/Passenger Transportation (Air, Rail, Bus, Taxi/Rideshare)/Public Transit Bus Operators (Municipal/Regional)

Keywords

• Public transit services
• Paratransit transportation
• ADA-accessible transit
• Shuttle transportation
• Medicaid transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookings

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Passenger Fares: Per-ride fares ranging from $2-$100 depending on distance and service type within Brookings County and surrounding areas
2. Bus Advertising: Transit advertising on buses and vans with monthly pricing from $140-$500, reaching 500,000+ annual vehicle miles
3. School Passes: Semester and annual passes for K-12 students and preschool transportation, including Brookings City Limits (2 rides/day - $400/semester) and Volga/Sioux Valley routes
4. Medicaid Transportation: Medicaid provider offering covered transportation services for eligible passengers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA) provides door-to-door public transportation services for residents of Brookings County and surrounding South Dakota communities. It operates ADA-accessible transit for general public, youth, elderly, and disabled passengers to work, school, medical appointments, shopping, and activities, plus specialized shuttle services, sub-brand transit operations, and bus advertising.

Product overview

Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA) operates a unified door-to-door public transportation network with one core service and multiple specialized sub-brands. The core BATA service provides general transportation within Brookings County. Three sub-brands extend coverage: DellsXpress serves Dell Rapids, Freeman Community Transit serves Hutchinson County, and the Sioux Falls Shuttle provides inter-city transport. Supporting offerings include Rabbit Ride (free SDSU campus-area service), Youth Transportation programs (school passes and summer passes), the MyRide web app for online scheduling, and Bus Advertising. All services share common dispatch infrastructure (605-692-2222), operate as 501(c)(3) non-profits, and comply with ADA accessibility requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BATA Door-to-Door Transit Service Core door-to-door public transportation service for residents of Brookings County and surrounding South Dakota communities, including Brookings, Aurora, Volga, White, Bruce, Arlington, Sinai, and Estelline. ADA-accessible rides for work, school, medical appointments, shopping, and activities, scheduled by phone or online with fares ranging $4-$10 within city limits.
• Sioux Falls Shuttle Inter-city shuttle service running three times daily on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between Brookings and Sioux Falls, with departures at 7:30 AM, 11:30 AM, and 2:30 PM. Pre-scheduled round-trip fare $40 (same-day $100 one-way or $175 round trip outside shuttle hours).
• Rabbit Ride Free safe transportation service for SDSU students, visitors, and the public operating Friday and Saturday nights from 9 PM to 2:30 AM on a fixed route throughout Brookings city, in partnership with SDSU, City of Brookings, and the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety.
• Youth Transportation Program Subscription-based transportation services for K-12 students, preschool children, and youth including school-year passes ($400/semester or $800/year for Brookings City Limits, 2 rides/day; preschool $160-$380/semester) and the Dog Days of Summer unlimited summer pass ($80 city limits, $180 including Aurora and Volga, ages 4-18).
• DellsXpress Wholly-owned subsidiary transit service for the greater Dell Rapids area, serving youth, general public, elderly, and passengers with disabilities for work, school, Sioux Falls, medical appointments, and shopping trips. Operates as an extension of BATA.
• Freeman Community Transit Wholly-owned subsidiary transit service for the greater Hutchinson County area including Freeman, Menno, Bridgewater, and surrounding communities, with routes to Sioux Falls, Yankton, and Mitchell. Operates as a 501(c)(3) extension of BATA.
• Bus Advertising Transit advertising service using BATA vehicles as traveling billboards, offering rear ($225/month), passenger side ($160/month), driver side ($175/month), and full wrap ($500/month) placements on buses, plus transit van options from $140-$250/month, reaching 500,000+ annual vehicle miles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ miles traveled annually by fleet
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SDSU Wellness CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Rabbit Ride - free Friday & Saturday night transportation for SDSU students, visitors, and public via fixed route throughout Brookings (9pm-2:30am)
• SDSU Students' AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Rabbit Ride free transportation service for students and public
• South Dakota Office of Highway SafetyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Rabbit Ride program providing safe transportation and highway safety support
• City of BrookingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner in Rabbit Ride fixed-route service for city residents
• Brookings Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBATA is a Chamber member, promoting public transportation awareness in the business community
• Brookings Area United WayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for community support and Generosity Fund for transportation assistance
• Dakota Transit AssociationminorOthersMember of state transit association for industry collaboration and best practices

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• River City Public Transit: Pierre, SD public transit operator providing demand-response and fixed-route service in a small-capital rural market. Closely mirrors BATA's service mix, ADA-compliance posture, and partnership-driven GTM.
• ROCS Transit: Southeast South Dakota rural transit operator serving multiple small communities. Comparable nonprofit structure, demand-response model, and reliance on multi-county partnerships.
• East Dakota Transit: Madison, SD-based rural transit provider serving Lake County with demand-response service. Closely comparable nonprofit model operating in an adjacent rural SD county.
• People's Transit: Huron, SD-based rural public transit agency offering door-to-door and scheduled routes. Directly comparable municipal/regional transit model with similar reliance on FTA Section 5311 funding.
• Ride Line Transportation: Aberdeen, SD municipal transit service operating fixed-route and paratransit. Direct peer sharing the same South Dakota operating environment, federal funding streams, and door-to-door paratransit model.
• Yankton Public Transit: Yankton, SD municipal transit provider offering fixed-route and demand-response service. Same nonprofit public transit model serving a small South Dakota city and surrounding rural area.
• Prairie Hills Transit: Black Hills region transit provider in western South Dakota with multi-county service. Comparable rural, multi-community demand-response operation run as a nonprofit under similar FTA funding.
• Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton: South Dakota rural public transit operator serving Watertown and Sisseton with door-to-door and fixed-route service. Same nonprofit, FTA-funded model with comparable fleet size and rural South Dakota catchment.
• Palace Transit: Municipal transit agency in Mitchell, SD providing citywide bus service. Comparable scale and structure as a city-run nonprofit transit operation with similar fare structure and ADA accessibility.

Regional players

• Rapid Transit System: Rapid City, SD's primary public transit operator. Larger regional peer offering fixed-route and paratransit across a mid-sized market; useful reference point for what BATA could scale into in a larger catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brookingsareatransitauthority

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Brookings Area Transit Authority