Franklin Regional Transit Authority

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Franklin Regional Transit Authority
Franklin Regional Transit Authority logo.png
Founded1978
HeadquartersJohn W. Olver Transit Center, 12 Olive Street, Suite 1, Greenfield, Massachusetts, United States
Service area Franklin County, Hampshire County, Worcester County
Service type fixed-route bus service, demand response service, and paratransit service
Routes7 fixed routes [1]
Hubs John W. Olver Transit Center
Fleet8 buses, 32 vans [2]
Daily ridership155,000 (annual; 2010) [3]
OperatorFranklin Transit Management, Inc.
Website www.frta.org

The Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) is a regional transit authority which provides public transportation principally to Franklin County and the North Quabbin region, both in Massachusetts. The FRTA is based in the county seat of Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Contents

History

Prior to the FRTA, Greenfield and its surrounding areas were served by the intermunicipal Greenfield and Montague Transportation Area (GMTA), an authority created with the purchase of assets of the defunct Connecticut Valley Street Railway in 1924. [4] The FRTA was established in 1978 with then implementation of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 161B, which gave rise to several regional transit authorities throughout Massachusetts. FRTA is the largest public transit authority in Massachusetts by territory.

In 1999, the FRTA and the Fitchburg-based Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) cooperated to form a route to Athol and Orange, Massachusetts, linking Greenfield to the MART terminal in Gardner.

Although not in the FRTA service area, public bus service between Greenfield and Northampton began in 2000.

In 2006, the FRTA assumed the responsibility of providing transportation services for the towns of Greenfield and Montague, when the former Greenfield Montague Transportation Area (GMTA) transit authority became unfunded by the state Department of Transportation. [5]

In 2013, Athol voted to withdraw from the FRTA service district, and instead voted to join MART, necessitating that the former Greenfield/Athol route be truncated in Orange.

Routes

FRTA public transportation service is available Monday through Friday. Fares on fixed route buses are free through June 30, 2023. FRTA is classified as a 'rural' transit authority.[ citation needed ]As of May 2023, there are seven active routes: [1]

John W. Olver Transit Center

The John W. Olver Transit Center houses the FRTA offices and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, the successor organization to the Franklin County county government. It has provisions for local FRTA buses and Amtrak service, and links with Greyhound Lines for intercity bus service to Springfield, Boston and Brattleboro. All FRTA bus routes service the JWO Transit Center.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin County, Massachusetts</span> County in Massachusetts, United States

Franklin County is a nongovernmental county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,029, which makes it the least-populous county on the Massachusetts mainland, and the third-least populous county in the state. Its traditional county seat and most populous city is Greenfield. Its largest town by area is New Salem. Franklin County comprises the Greenfield Town, MA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Springfield-Greenfield Town, MA Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckland, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Buckland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,816 at the 2020 census. The town shares the village of Shelburne Falls with neighboring Shelburne. The town center at Shelburne Falls is the western end of the Bridge of Flowers, a local tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlemont, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Heath is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 723 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelburne, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Shelburne is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,884 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunderland, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Sunderland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States, part of the Pioneer Valley. The population was 3,663 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenfield, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Greenfield is the only city in and the seat of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair. The city has a Main Street Historic District containing fine examples of Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,569 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athol, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,945 at the 2020 census.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area code 413</span> Telephone area code in western Massachusetts, United States

Area code 413 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the western third of Massachusetts. It is the largest numbering plan area in the Commonwealth, and extends from the New York state line eastward into Worcester County, while excluding the Franklin County towns of Orange, New Salem, Warwick, and Wendell, which use the overlay of area codes 978 and 351. The most-populous city of area code 413 is Springfield. 413 also includes Great Barrington, Greenfield, North Adams, Northampton and Pittsfield.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">John W. Olver Transit Center</span> Intermodal transit hub in Franklin County, Massachusetts

The John W. Olver Transit Center, also called the JWO Transit Center, is an intermodal transit hub for Franklin County, Massachusetts. Located in Greenfield, it currently serves Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) local bus routes plus intercity bus service. Amtrak's Greenfield station is also located here, with one daily Vermonter round trip and two daily Valley Flyer round trips, which are extensions of Amtrak-run Hartford Line trains.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Schedules-Maps". frta.org. Franklin Regional Transit Authority. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. "About Us". frta.org. Franklin Regional Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  3. "RTA PROFILE: Franklin Regional Transit Authority". MassDOT. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  4. Environmental Impact Station and Section 4(f) Evaluation; Route 2- Greenfield, Gill, Erving, Wendell, Orange, Massachusetts. U.S. Department of Transportation. May 10, 1982. p. 30.
  5. Vallette, David A. (July 21, 2006). "Transit agencies to merge". Springfield Republican. Springfield, MA.
  6. "GreenLink Connector" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. "Greenfield Community" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  8. "Sunderland/Greenfield Route" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. January 22, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  9. "Crosstown Connector (Montague–Greenfield)" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  10. "Northampton/Greenfield Route" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  11. "Orange/Greenfield Route" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  12. "Charlemont/Greenfield Route" (PDF). Franklin Regional Transit Authority. September 4, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2023.