R6 Norristown Service Extension Study

The Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC), in cooperation with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), has initiated the R6 Norristown Line Service Extension Study. The study will determine the feasibility of restoring passenger rail service between communities along the US Route 422 corridor in Montgomery, Chester, and Berks counties and Center City Philadelphia. As the region continues to grow, traffic is increasing along US Route 422. Commuter rail would provide another transportation option for residents commuting to Philadelphia and could also provide a catalyst for development and redevelopment in well established towns such as Phoenixville, Royersford, Pottstown, and Reading.

http://www.r6extension.com/

SENIOR CITIZENS RIDE FREE ALL DAY/EVERY DAY!

Effective Wednesday, August 1, 2007, if you are 65 years of age or older, you may ride free on the BARTA Fixed Route bus system ALL DAY / EVERY DAY! To participate in the program, register with BARTA to obtain a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ID Card. You may call BARTA and an application will be mailed to you. Fill out the application and send it back with the required proof of age and we will send you a card. You can also stop by the Special Services Office (between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday) and fill out an application and receive your card immediately. Please remember that you MUST provide proof of age in order to receive your card.

The following documents may be used as proof of age: Birth Certificate, Baptismal Certificate, Naturalization Papers, Passport, Statement from Social Security Administration, Armed Forces Discharge/Separation Papers, Pennsylvania Identification Card, Photo Motor Vehicle Operator's License, Resident Alien Card or Veteran's Universal Access Identification Card.

Your free bus transportation is provided under the Pennsylvania Lottery's Free Transit Program for Senior Citizens. By riding the transit system, you will also help to insure the program's continued existence.

NEW SERVICE TO EAST PENN MANUFACTURING

BARTA, in a private – public partnership with Berks County’s largest manufacturer, East Penn Manufacturing - Deka, will begin bus service from the BARTA Transportation Center in Reading to their plant in Lyon Station on Sunday night, February 25, 2007. In an effort to assist East Penn’s employees with their transportation needs and to accommodate the varied shift schedules, BARTA will provide two trips per shift to the Lyon Station Facility. The buses will leave the BARTA Transportation Center (BTC) at 8^th & Cherry Streets in Reading at 5:15 AM, 5:55 AM, 1:15 PM, 2:00 PM, 9:45 PM AND 10:15 PM, Monday through Friday. The 9:45 PM and 10:15 PM trips will also run on Sunday for night shift workers. The buses will arrive at the plant and discharge the passengers, then the buses will wait and depart for Reading, 30 minutes after the scheduled arrival time at the plant. This will ensure that all employees arrive on time and that all employees will be able to connect with BARTA for their ride home after the completion of their shift. click here for new schedule.

BARTA - RIDING HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!

BARTA (Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority) is making riding on its buses EASIER than EVER!

Simply by purchasing our BARTA PASS you can prepay and ride for THIRTY-ONE DAYS! If a 31-Day Pass is not for you, consider the 10 Trip Ticket or the One Day ANYWHERE Pass. Of course, you can still pay cash, but our passes are designed to make riding even easier for you!

In two easy steps you’re on your way:

1) Purchase your electronic BARTA pass today and make riding the bus EASIER than ever! Prepay for a One Day ANYWHERE Pass, 10 Trip Ticket or 31-Day Pass. Our 31-Day Pass is our most economical pass that affords you the opportunity to ride for 31 consecutive calendar days with the simple use of your pass. The Pass is activated the first time you insert it into the fare box and the activation date is printed on the back of the pass.

For your convenience you can purchase your BARTA PASS at the BARTA Transportation Center in downtown Reading, at any Boscov’s Department Store or at BARTA at 1700 N. 11th Street.

2) Sit back and enjoy your ride. Your time to enter the bus has just gotten easier and shorter because now all you do is swipe your card and away you go! No coins or change to have to worry about or slow down your ride.

RIDING IS AS EASY AS:		Effective 01/01/11:
31 Day Pass Adult Anywhere		$47.00
31 Day Pass Student Anywhere		$29.00
31 Day Pass Park-N-Ride		$31.00
10 Trip Adult Anywhere Ticket		$17.30
10 Trip Student Anywhere Ticket		$11.00

(Park-N-Ride passes are valid to & from

designated P-N-R lots only)

Effective 01/01/2007:

ONE DAY ANYWHERE PASS

$ 3.00 purchased at a Sales Outlet

ONE DAY ANYWHERE PASS

$ 4.00 "ON BUS" purchase

**PRE-PURCHASED PASSES AND TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE**

Simply swipe your card when you enter the bus, and sit back and leave the travel to us. We’re making riding easier than it’s ever been for our customers.

Why not ride today? If you travel to work on the bus, why not ask your employer about providing bus travel incentives for all employees who use BARTA? We can develop a customized PASS program as easy as 1.2.3.

How can I keep my pass working?

First, carry the card in a wallet, purse or elsewhere where it lies flat and remains clean and dry. Second, be careful to keep the pass away from portable electronic devices, which can demagnetize passes, making them unreadable. Demagnetizing of passes is a growing problem now that most people carry one or more electronic devices, including cell phones, iPods, PDAs, and handheld games. All such devices can generate magnetic fields and many can demagnetize passes. Finally, take care not to place a pass in a purse or wallet so that its magnetic strip rubs against that of a credit card or debit card. This can also demagnetize a pass.

Contact BARTA at 610-921-0601 for more information.