Pioneer_Valley_Transit_Authority

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority

Pioneer Valley Transit Authority

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The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) oversees and coordinates public transportation in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, offering fixed-route bus service, paratransit service, and senior van service. PVTA was created by Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws in 1974. Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, PVTA serves Hampden and Hampshire counties, and provides connecting service to CTtransit in Hartford County, Connecticut, to FRTA in Franklin County, and to WRTA in Worcester County. It is the largest regional transit authority, and second largest public transit system in Massachusetts after the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, providing service to over 11 million riders annually across 24 municipalities in the region,[1] with about 70% of all riders using the system as their primary mode of transit.[2]

Quick Facts Founded, Headquarters ...

Organizational structure

As per Section 25, Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws, regional transit authorities in Massachusetts are not permitted to directly operate their service, but must instead contract with other entities to operate the buses. As such, the PVTA contracts with two entities to provide fixed-route service in the service area:[3] First Transit and UMass Transit Services. The contractors run semi-autonomous garages that act as vehicle depots for the surrounding areas.[4]

Springfield Area Transit Company

The Springfield Area Transit Company (SATCo) operates the southern portion of PVTA's service area, servicing Hampden County. SATCo, located at 665 Cottage Street in Springfield, is managed by First Transit. All SATCo fixed-route buses are numbered in the 1000 series. SATCo transports more than 9 million passengers annually.

Fleet (Fixed Route Vehicles)

More information Manufacturer/ Model, Order Year ...

UMass Transit Services

Main article: University of Massachusetts Transportation Services
A route 31 PVTA/UMass bus at the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center

UMass Transit Services operates PVTA's routes through the Five Colleges area in eastern Hampshire County and neighboring towns, with most of the routes centered around UMass Amherst, the largest ridership generator in the service area. UMass Transit Services is a department within the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[5] The UMass Transit garage is located on-campus at 255 Governors Drive, Amherst. All UMass Transit fixed-route buses are numbered in the 3000 series. UMass Transit is a student-based organization with more than 90% of the employees (i.e. bus drivers, mechanics, dispatchers) being UMass students, with the remaining employees falling under University 03 employment status or full time administrators. UMass Transit Services is one of the oldest student driver groups in the country, having been founded in 1969 as a demonstration grant from the Urban Mass Transit Administration. UMass Transit Services operates 10 routes with a fleet of 40 transit vehicles (35' - 60'). Service runs 12 months a year, 20 hours per day, seven days per week. UMass Transit Services transports more than 3.5 million passengers annually.

Fleet (Fixed Route Vehicles)

More information Manufacturer/ Model, Order Year ...

Valley Area Transit Company

The Valley Area Transit Company (VATCo) operates the central portion of PVTA's service area. All of its routes originate from Northampton, providing connections to the UMass Transit service area via Route 9, and to the SATCo service area on the other side of the Mount Tom Range via Routes 5 and 10. VATCo, located at 54 Industrial Drive in Northampton, is managed by First Transit. All VATCo fixed-route buses are numbered in the 7000 series.

Fleet (Fixed Route Vehicles)

More information Manufacturer/ Model, Order Year ...

MV Transit

ADA Paratransit Service and Senior Van Service is provided by MV Transit for the entire service area, except for the University of Massachusetts, where the UMass Accessible Van Service (operated by UMass Transit Services) provides service for University members. Amherst-area paratransit passengers who are not members of the University community are served by MV. All paratransit vehicles are numbered in the 5000 series.

Hulmes Transportation Services

The fixed-route van shuttles (Ware Shuttle, Palmer Shuttle, and Nashawannuck Express) are operated by Hulmes Transportation Services. These routes are operated by vans numbered in the 1200 series.

QVCDC/Town of Ware

Route B79 is operated by the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation and the Town of Ware, through its Quaboag Connector partnership.

Routes

Springfield-area

These routes are operated by the Springfield Area Transit Company (SATCo), except for the Ware Shuttle and Palmer Shuttle, which are operated by Hulmes Transportation Services.

More information Route, Route Name ...

Amherst-area

These routes are operated by UMass Transit Services (UMTS). See UMass Transit fixed routes for more information.

More information Route, Route Name ...

Northampton-area

These routes are operated by the Valley Area Transit Company (VATCo), except for the Nashawannuck Express, which is operated by Hulmes Transportation Services.

More information Route, Route Name ...

Connections

PVTA offers connections to the following transit agencies:

Schedule information and trip planning

Route timetables and maps are available on PVTA's website at https://www.pvta.com/schedules.php. Customer Service Centers can print schedules for riders by request.

PVTA endorsed Transit as the official trip planning and real-time information app for PVTA bus routes.[50] In the app, you can look up real-time departures, plan trips, and receive service alerts for when there are detours or other disruptions. PVTA also provides Transit's Royale subscription feature to all riders at no cost. Transit can be downloaded at https://www.transitapp.com/download.

Schedule information is also available through other mapping platforms like Google Maps and Apple Maps, and service alerts are posted on PVTA's website at https://www.pvta.com/alerts.php.

Fares

One-way

One-way fixed-route fares are noted below.

NOTE: Buses operated by UMass Transit Services (3000-series) do not have fareboxes (see UMass Transit buses below).

More information Adults 13 and older, Children 6 to 12 ...

One-way fares for adults 13 and older are $1.40 if purchased at the PVTA Customer Service Center at Springfield Union Station. Transfers for children 6-12 are $0.25, and transfers for mobility impaired passengers and seniors are $0.10.

Passes

All passes are good through the end of the service day.

  • 1-Day passes are sold on PVTA Springfield and Northampton buses at the fareboxes, as well as at ticket vending machines at Springfield Union Station, Holyoke Transportation Center, and Westfield Olver Transit Pavilion.
  • 7- and 31-day passes are sold at Big Y supermarkets in the service area, at Springfield Union Station (at the PVTA Customer Service Center as well as the ticket vending machines), at the Holyoke Transportation Center (at the customer service center as well as the ticket vending machine), at the Westfield Olver Transit Pavilion (ticket vending machines only), and by the Western New England University's bursar office.
  • The 31-day pass is also sold on the PVTA website.
  • Riders should not rely on PVTA ticket vending machines at Union Station, Holyoke Transportation Center, and Westfield Olver Transit Pavilion as they are out of service as of 2019. Tickets can be purchased with credit/debit cards at Customer Service Centers, open 9 am – 4:45 pm Monday through Friday. Monthly passes can be purchased at Big Y Supermarket Customer Service counters during other hours.
  • Riders paying cash must use exact change on board.
More information 1-Day Pass, 7-Day Pass ...

Mobile ticketing

PVTA offers riders the ability to purchase tickets and passes on their smartphone, removing the need to pay cash on board or purchase physical passes ahead of time, using the MassDOT BusPlus app.[51] Tickets and passes purchased on smartphones are validated electronically with mobile ticket validators, located inside the front door of the bus on the right side. Tickets are visually validated by bus operators when mobile ticket validators are unavailable. This program launched on July 19, 2020,[52] and mobile ticket validators entered service on January 2, 2024.

Routes operated by UMass Transit Services

PVTA buses operated by UMass Transit do not charge fares. See here for more details.

Ridership increase

Ridership is up 12% in September 2014 and 9% in October.[53]

Accounting errors investigation

An audit in 2005 revealed that the PVTA made approximately $10 million in accounting errors on a transportation development project at Springfield's Union Station. Initial reports said PVTA could owe the federal government as much as $4 million.[54] That amount was reduced in 2009 to less than $1 million.[55] A federal probe in 2006 also targeted some PVTA employees. Subsequently, Administrator Gary Shepard resigned in 2006 after being put on leave by the Advisory Board, but he was never charged with any offense.[56][57]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    2018 MassDOT Annual Report on Regional Transit Authorities (PDF) (Report). Massachusetts Department of Transportation. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2019.
  2. [2]
    "Funding for Pioneer Valley Public Transit Improvements Restored". CLF Blog. Boston: Conservation Law Foundation. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019.
  3. [3]
    "PVTA Annual Report". Pvta.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. [4]
    "Maps of PVTA Service Area". Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  5. [5]
    "Transit - Transportation Services - UMass Amherst". Umass.edu. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  6. [6]
    "G1" (PDF).
  7. [7]
    "G2" (PDF).
  8. [8]
    "G3" (PDF).
  9. [9]
    "B4" (PDF).
  10. [10]
    "G5" (PDF).
  11. [11]
    "B6" (PDF).
  12. [12]
    "B7" (PDF).
  13. [13]
    "WSU" (PDF). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  14. [14]
    "R10" (PDF).
  15. [15]
    "P11" (PDF).
  16. [16]
    "B12" (PDF).
  17. [17]
    "R14" (PDF).
  18. [18]
    "B17" (PDF).
  19. [19]
    "P20" (PDF).
  20. [20]
    "P21" (PDF).
  21. [21]
    "P21E" (PDF). Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.
  22. [22]
    "B23" (PDF).
  23. [23]
    "R24" (PDF).
  24. [24]
    "R29" (PDF).
  25. [25]
    "G73E" (PDF). PVTA. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  26. [26]
    "X90" (PDF).
  27. [27]
    "X92" (PDF).
  28. [28]
    "Ware Shuttle" (PDF).
  29. [29]
    "Palmer Shuttle" (PDF). Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  30. [30]
    "Route 30 : North Amherst / Old Belchertown Rd" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  31. [31]
    "Route 31 : Sunderland / South Amherst" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  32. [32]
    "Route 33 : Puffers Pond / Shopper Shuttle : Weekday" (PDF). Pvta.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  33. [33]
    "Route 34 : Campus Shuttle / Northbound" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  34. [34]
    "Route 35 : Campus Shuttle / Southbound" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  35. [35]
    "Route 36 : Olympia Crive / Atkins Fam : Weekday" (PDF). Pvta.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  36. [36]
    "Route 38 : MT Holyoke / Hampshire / Amherst / Umass" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  37. [37]
    "Route 39 : Smith / Hampshire/Mt Holyoke" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  38. [38]
    "Route 46 : Belchertown Center / UMass" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  39. [39]
    "Route 46 : South Deerfield / UMass" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  40. [40]
    http://www.pvta.com/schedules/Rt46.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  41. [41]
    "Route B79 : Amherst–Worcester Intercity Service" (PDF). Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  42. [42]
    "39E" (PDF).
  43. [43]
    "Route R41 : Northampton / Easthampton / Holyoke Community College / Holyoke Mall" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  44. [44]
    "Route R42 : Northampton/Williamsburg" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  45. [45]
    "Route B43 : Northampton / Hadley / Amherst" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  46. [46]
    "B43" (PDF).
  47. [47]
    "Route R44 : Florence Heights via King St and Bridge Rd" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  48. [48]
    "Route B48 : Northampton/Veterans Park To Holyoke Mall" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  49. [49]
    "Route NE : Nashawannuck Express (Easthampton)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  50. [50]
    "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  51. [51]
    "PVTA Mobile Fare Payment App MassDOT BusPlus". www.pvta.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  52. [52]
    "Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  53. [53]
    Tuthill, Paul (5 December 2014). "Public Transit Is Becoming More Popular". WAMC. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  54. [54]
    "MV transportation loses contract bid: awarding practices spark federal investigation". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  55. [55]
    "Pioneer Valley Transit Authority gives up $1 million in funding to settle Union Station audit". Masslive.com. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  56. [56]
    "PVTA board to review director's contract, pvta, shepard, board - Regional News - WRGB Channel 6 News". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  57. [57]
    Stephanie Barry (5 November 2009). "PVTA pays $175,000 to former counsel Kevin Walkowski, who said he was fired for cooperating with FBI investigation". Masslive.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
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