The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) is the
Municipal Authority A municipal authority is a form of special-purpose governmental unit in Pennsylvania. The municipal authority is an alternate vehicle for accomplishing public purposes without the direct action of counties, municipalities and school districts. Thes ...
that owns and operates the
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
system in
Erie County, Pennsylvania
Erie County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the northernmost county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,876. Its county seat is Erie. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.
...
which includes the 'e', the area's
transit bus
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
es; LIFT, the county
paratransit
Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...
service; and Bayliner Trolley, the
downtown circulator In the United States, a downtown circulator is a road, bus or tram system to distribute traffic or people through a downtown area.
Examples include:
*Miami, Florida's Downtown Distributor
*Pawtucket, Rhode Island's Downtown Circulator
*The DC Cir ...
.
History
The first public transportation system in Erie was established on March 1, 1897, as the Erie City Passenger Railway Company. On October 8, 1888, the Erie Electric Motor Company took control of the Erie City Passenger Railway.
["McGraw Electric Railway Manual" 1913, p. 250] The Conneaut and Erie Railway Traction Company was formed in 1903 and ran trolleys to east of the city.
[Meier 1985, p. 4.] On December 24, 1906, the Buffalo and Lake Erie Traction Company took control of the Erie Electric Motor Company and completed its line to
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
in 1909.
When the Conneaut and Erie was abandoned on September 16, 1922, the West Ridge Transportation Company was started the next year to run buses along the abandoned trolley route.
The Buffalo and Lake Erie was reorganized into the Buffalo and Erie Railway Company on September 5, 1924, and the streetcar system in Erie was split from the Buffalo and Erie to form the Erie Railways Company.
[Meier 1985, p. 5.] Unable to expanded to invest in an expansion of the streetcar system, four
Yellow Coach
The Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company (informally Yellow Coach) was an early manufacturer of passenger buses in the United States. Between 1923 and 1943, Yellow Coach built transit buses, electric-powered trolley buses, and parlor coaches.
Fou ...
"Z"'s were acquired and were operated by the Erie Coach Company, a newly formed
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of the Erie Railways Company in 1925.
The last of its trolleys ran between Erie and New York on December 1, 1932. The streetcars were put out of service in 1935. The city and county took over the Erie Coach Company and formed the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority on September 20, 1966.
The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority renamed its bus service "the 'e'" on June 11, 2010.
The 'e'
Routes
Bus fleet
List of EMTA's fleet
*
OBI #REDIRECT Obi {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous title ...
**II (02.502)
**VII (07.501) "3rd Generation"
*
NFI
**D35LF
**D40LF
**C35LF ''
CNG
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
''
†
*
Gillig
Gillig (formerly Gillig Brothers) is an American designer and manufacturer of buses. The company headquarters, along with its manufacturing operations, is located in Livermore, California (in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area) ...
**LF-35 ''Trolley Replica''
**LF-35
**LF-40
**LF-29", 35” & 40" ''
CNG
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
''
†
*
Optima
Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958.
Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic s ...
**AH-28 ''American Heritage Streetcar'' (trolley-replica buses)
† Twentynine Gillig CNG buses, only alternative fuel in fleet, Eight more coming in Summer 2021.
LIFT
"LIFT" is EMTA's
paratransit
Paratransit is the term used in North America, also known by other names such as community transport ( UK) for transportation services that supplement fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. ...
program in that provides door-to-door transportation services to people who have physical
disabilities
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
, are
senior citizens
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human biological life cycle, life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage ...
or anyone who lives "beyond the bus routes or are unable to utilize bus services." Some passengers qualify for free rides while others may have to pay a minimum of $1.65 to ride.
Other programs
Until 2008, EMTA offered a
"trackless" trolley that could be rented for special occasions; while the rental program has been discontinued, this type of vehicle is still used for Route 20. Another program from EMTA is their "Bike on the Bus" program for bicyclists that allows them to take the bus to a destination while carrying their bike on a rack on the front of the bus for free. EMTA has a "Bayliner Trolley" route,
using trackless trolleys, that takes the place of the
Park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
service in Erie. Currently, there is no fare on the Bayliner route.
See also
*
Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania
Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania includes access to most major forms of transportation, including automobile, bus, train, taxi, airplane, and ship. The city generates income through the transportation industry, including train manufacturing and ...
Notes
References
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External links
{{Commons category, Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority
Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority
Bus transportation in Pennsylvania
American companies established in 1966
Transit authorities with natural gas buses
Transport companies established in 1966
Municipal authorities in Pennsylvania
Transportation in Erie County, Pennsylvania
Government of Erie County, Pennsylvania
Transit agencies in Pennsylvania
1966 establishments in Pennsylvania
Paratransit services in the United States