Bay Area Rural Transit

Bay Area Rural Transit

Founded	1981
Headquarters	2216 6th St. E., Ashland, WI
Locale	Ashland County and Bayfield County, Wisconsin
Service type	bus service, paratransit
Routes	14
Fleet	24
Annual ridership	123,214 [1]
Website	http://www.bartbus.com/

Bay Area Rural Transit is a public transportation system in Ashland County, Bayfield County and Price County, Wisconsin.

History

In 1980 a group of individuals determined to find a solution to the transportation needs of area residents, researched ways to establish a transit system that would help people get back and forth to work. With the help of some very determined area leaders and a representative from the Department of Transportation, Bay Area Rural Transit was born in 1981. ^[2]

• In 1981 Bay Area Rural Transit first began with only two Routes, Route 1 (Red Cliff to Ashland) and Route 2 (Ashland to Odanah).
• In 2006 BART took over operations for the Washburn Blue Goose.
• In 2009 BART added Route 8 (City of Ashland) and Route 6 (Mellen) services.
• In the Summer of 2013, BART moved into its new building at 2216 East 6th Street.
• In 2016 BART began its first service in Price County with Route 11 (Park Falls).
• In 2018 BART expanded service to Price County with Route 12 (Phillips).
• In 2019 BART started Route 7. This route operates three times a day on Tuesdays between Ashland and Prentice servicing all of the communities in between on the Highway 13 corridor.
• In 2020 BART expanded service in Price County with Routes 16 and 17. These routes operate Monday through Saturday and travel between Phillips/Park Falls and Minocqua.
• In 2020 BART began its first service in Iron County with Routes 18 and 19. Route 18 operates on Tuesdays and travels between Hurley and Bad River. Route 19 operates on Wednesdays and travels between Hurley and Woodruff.

Services

The transit system currently operates twelve routes, which run as follows:

• Route 1: Bad River-Red Cliff, Monday-Friday
• Route 2: Red Cliff-Bad River, Monday-Friday
• Route 3: Ashland-Red Cliff-Ashland, Saturday
• Route 4: "Blue Goose" Demand Response, Monday-Friday
• Route 6: Mellen-Ashland-Mellen, Monday, Thursday
• Route 8: Ashland City, Demand Response, Monday-Friday
• Route 9: Glidden-Park Falls-Glidden, Demand Response, Monday-Friday
• Route 10: Glidden-Mellen-Glidden, Demand Response, Monday-Friday
• Route 11: Park Falls-Phillips, Demand Response, Monday-Saturday
• Route 12: Phillips-Park Falls, Demand Response, Monday-Saturday
• Route 16: Phillips-Minocqua-Phillips, Demand Response, Monday-Friday
• Route 17: Phillips-Minocqua-Phillips, Demand Response, Saturday
• Route 18: Hurley, Canceled
• Route 19: Hurley, Canceled

Communities Served

• Ashland
• Bad River
• Bayfield
• Butternut
• Glidden
• Highbridge
• Marengo
• Mellen
• Minocqua
• Park Falls
• Phillips
• Red Cliff
• Washburn

Ridership

	Ridership	Change over previous year
2014 [3]	152,074	n/a
2015 [4]	139,601	08.2%
2016 [5]	133,625	04.28%
2017 [6]	140,341	05.03%
2018 [7]	124,367	011.38%
2019 [8]	136,981	010.14%
2020 [9]	124,022	09.46%
2021 [10]	75,804	038.88%
2022 [11]	88,599	016.88%
2023 [1]	123,214	039.07%

See also

• Duluth Transit Authority
• List of bus transit systems in the United States

References

1. "2023 Annual Agency Profile - Bay Area Rural Transit Commission (NTD ID 50401)" (PDF). Retrieved December 3, 2024.
2. "BART History".
3. "2014 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
4. "2015 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
5. "2016 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
6. "2017 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
7. "2018 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
8. "2019 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
9. "2020 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved September 4, 2022.
10. "2021 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved February 5, 2023.
11. "2022 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved November 12, 2023.

External links

• "BAY AREA RURAL TRANSIT". BAY AREA RURAL TRANSIT.

46°35′58″N90°51′11″W / 46.59944°N 90.85306°W / 46.59944; -90.85306