| Founded | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 145 Thorndike St. |
| Locale | Lowell, MA |
| Service area | Greater Lowell |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Routes | 18 (In addition to a seasonal line during the holiday season) |
| Destinations | Lowell, Chelmsford, Billerica, Tewksbury, Wilmington, Burlington, Dracut, Tyngsborough, Westford, Littleton |
| Fleet | Gillig, Blue Bird |
| Fuel type | Diesel, CNG, Hybrid |
| Operator | First Transit |
| Web site | lrta.com |
The Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Greater Lowell area. This primarily includes the city of Lowell and the towns of Billerica, Burlington, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough and Westford. The LRTA provides fixed route bus services and paratransit services within this area, although some fixed lines do extend beyond these towns.[1][2]
The LRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws. Since 2004, operation of the LRTA has been subcontracted to First Transit, a subsidiary of the United Kingdom based FirstGroup.[1][3]
The area served by the LRTA is within the commuter rail service area of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). At the Gallagher Transit Terminal in Lowell, LRTA buses provide connection to each other, to trains on MBTA's Lowell Line, and to various intercity bus routes.[1][3]
All of the routes serve Monday through Friday and most provide Saturday service.
| No | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christian Hill | ||
| 2 | Belvidere | ||
| 3 | South Lowell | ||
| 4 | Shaw/Stevens | ||
| 5 | Westford Street/Drum Hill | Market Basket, Drum Hill | |
| 6 | Broadway/UMass Lowell | University of Massachusetts Lowell South | |
| 7 | Pawtucketville/UMass Lowell North | University of Massachusetts Lowell North | |
| 8 | Centralville | ||
| 9 | Downtown Circulator | University of Massachusetts Lowell East | |
| 10 | Dracut/Tyngsborough | ||
| 11 | IRS/Raytheon | via Rte. 133 - No Saturday Service | |
| 12 | Tewksbury | via Rte. 38 and Wilmington Train Station | |
| 13 | Billerica | via Edson | |
| 14 | Burlington/Lahey | Burlington Mall and Lahey Clinic | |
| 15 | Chelmsford/Westford | via Rte. 129/110 - No Saturday Service | |
| 16 | Chelmsford Center | Chelmsford via Chelmsford Street | |
| 17 | North Chelmsford | via Middlesex Street | |
| 18 | Pheasant Lane Mall | via Middlesex Street - During holiday season only | |
| Downtown Shuttle | loop through downtown Lowell |