The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) is the Municipal Authority that owns and operates the public transport 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 buses; LIFT, the county paratransit 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 Circ ...

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 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 "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 **II (02.502) **VII (07.501) "3rd Generation" * NFI **D35LF **D40LF **C35LF '' CNG''^† * Gillig **LF-35 ''Trolley Replica'' **LF-35 **LF-40 **LF-29", 35” & 40" '' CNG''^† * Optima **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 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 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 service in Erie. Currently, there is no fare on the Bayliner route. EMTA Ford 0724

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