Two transit providers servicing 11 Pennsylvania counties and the city of Harrisburg plan to merge into a single entity that will improve the efficiency of operations and increase mobility for riders.
Capital Area Transit (CAT), which service Harrisburg and Cumberland and Dauphin County, and rabbittransit, which services the counties of York, Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder and Union, will merge to form the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority.
The new, joint authority will be able to leverage the buying power of a larger organization, eliminate duplicative operations and have greater opportunity to qualify for discretionary grants. As a result, the region would see enhanced services, including:
- A single fare payment system;
- Expanded call center hours;
- Improved connections to large regional employers;
- Enhanced service to regional health care programs and
- Enhanced connectivity between campuses for students.
“Ultimately, it’s about advancing mobility for the region,” says Richard Farr, executive director of rabbittransit, who has also been managing CAT since February 2018. “In many ways, we are functioning as one system now. The two transit agencies have been working cooperatively for nearly three years and we are already seeing benefits.”
Farr noted that the merger will help avoid a proposed 40 percent reduction in service at CAT, which has been struggling financially. Additionally, it is not expected to have any impact on current bus drivers or mechanics at either agency.
In 2014, transit agencies in Berks and Lancaster counties went through a similar merger successfully.
The next step in the process is for the two authorities to hold public hearings on the proposal and then adopt resolutions. The CAT Board of Directors is set to meet on January 28, 2021 at noon and the rabbittransit Board of Directors on February 4, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
