Current livery |
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| Slogan | Ride the 'e' |
| Founded | September 20, 1966 |
| Headquarters | 127 East 14th Street Erie, Pennsylvania United States |
| Service area | Erie County |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 24 |
| Fleet | 136 buses |
| Annual ridership | 3,213,374[1] (2010) 1.9% from 2009 |
| Fuel type | Diesel, CNG |
| Chief executive | Dennis Solensky |
| Web site | www.ride-the-e.com |
The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority (EMTA) is the transit authority that owns and operates the public transport system in the city of Erie and around Erie County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, which includes the 'e', the area's transit buses; LIFT, the county paratransit service; and Bayliner Trolley, the downtown circulator.
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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.[2] The Conneaut and Erie Railway Traction Company was formed in 1903 and ran trolleys to east of the city.[3] On December 24, 1906, the Buffalo and Lake Erie Traction Company took control of the Erie Electric Motor Company and completed its 92-mile (148 km) line to Buffalo, New York in 1909.[3] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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 of the Erie Railways Company in 1925.[4] The last of its trolleys ran between Erie and New York on December 1, 1932.[5] 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.[6]
The Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority renamed its bus service "the 'e'" on June 11, 2010.[7]
EMTA operates an assortment of different bus brands. EMTA owns several Orion II's, New Flyer D35LF's and Gillig Low Floor buses. The Bayliner Trolleys are Gillig trolley replicas. EMTA's other trackless trolley is an Optima Heritage Streetcar. Twelve EMTA buses run on compressed natural gas.[8]
"LIFT" is EMTA's paratransit program in that provides door-to-door transportation services to people who have physical disabilities, are senior citizens or anyone who lives "beyond the bus routes or are unable to utilize bus services."[9] Some passengers qualify for free rides while others may have to pay a minimum of $1.10 to ride.
EMTA offers a "trackless" trolley that can be rented for special occasions (this type of vehicle is also 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 without any additional cost.
EMTA provides a water taxi service to Presque Isle for a $4 one-way fare or a $7 round-trip fare from Dobbins Landing. EMTA also has a "Bayliner Trolley" route[10], using trackless trolleys, that takes the place of the Park and ride service in Erie. Currently, there is no fare on the Bayliner route.
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