RVTA buses at Trade & Transit Centre
FoundedAugust 8, 1969
July 1, 2022 (as RVTA)
Headquarters1500 West Third Street
LocaleWilliamsport, Pennsylvania
Service typebus service, paratransit
Fuel typeDiesel
CNG
Websiteridervt.com

The River Valley Transit Authority (formerly the Williamsport Bureau of Transportation, and later River Valley Transit) is the public transit operator serving Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and surrounding Lycoming County.

History

In 1969, the City of Williamsport acquired the privately-owned Williamsport Bus Company, using grant funding from the Urban Mass Transit Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The resulting agency, the Williamsport Bureau of Transportation, began operations on August 8, 1969. The system served Williamsport alongside the surrounding communities of South Williamsport, Montoursville, Duboistown, Loyalsock, and Old Lycoming Township, which formed a partnership to contribute funding to the system.[1]

In 1980, the system rebranded its services as "City Bus," while the organization retained the name Williamsport Bureau of Transportation. City Bus began services to Muncy and Lycoming Mall in 1988, and began trolley service two years later.[1]

November 1999 saw the opening of the Joseph M. McDade Trade & Transit Centre, the system's main hub, built on the site of the former L.L. Stearns department store in downtown Williamsport.[1][2][3] The building has bus stop facilities on the ground floor, and also includes commercial offices and a performing arts center. A second building, dubbed Trade & Transit Centre II, opened next door in 2016.[1]

In 2005, the system was rebranded again as River Valley Transit.[1]

In 2011, RVT took over management of the Endless Mountains Transportation Authority, now known as BeST Transit, which operates in Bradford, Tioga, and Sullivan counties.[1][4]

On February 18, 2022, the Williamsport City Council voted to separate River Valley Transit from the city government, transferring it to a new, independent River Valley Transit Authority. The original RVT ceased operations on June 30, and the RVTA commenced operations the next day, July 1, 2022.[5]

Audits and grant funding investigation

In 2021, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced an investigation of RVT and the City of Williamsport, alleging misuse of state and federal grant funds from 2009 to 2019.[6] The investigation found that grant funding was used improperly to subsidize river cruise operator Hiawatha, Inc., among other misuses;[7] the city was then sent a cease-and-desist letter by PennDOT.[8] The Federal Transit Administration opened a similar investigation into RVTA in November 2022.[9][10]

Also in 2021, Mayor Derek Slaughter's office hired accounting firm RKL to audit RVT's finances. Their audit, presented to the City Council's finance committee in October 2021, found a number of financial inconsistencies and evidence of evasive recordkeeping.[11] The results were forwarded to Shapiro's office.[12]

Operations

Fixed-route buses

RVTA operates twenty fixed bus routes, all of which originate at the Trade & Transit Centre in downtown Williamsport.[1] Relative to Williamsport and the main bus station, the service area includes the boroughs of South Williamsport and Duboistown to the south; Woodward and Piatt Townships and the borough of Jersey Shore to the west; Old Lycoming Township, including Garden View and Grimesville, to the north; and Loyalsock Township, and the boroughs of Montoursville, Muncy, and Hughesville to the east, with Montgomery to the southeast.

Daytime bus service officially begins at 5:30 a.m., and continues until 7:00 p.m. After 7:00 p.m., the two Nightline buses provide service hourly as far east as the Lycoming Mall and as far west as the Reach Road industrial park. The 'late' bus provides outbound only service going west, and offers transportation to employees at the Reach Road Industrial Park at 11 p.m. Saturday services deviate from the weekday schedules on select routes. Fixed routes do not run on Sundays, except during the Little League World Series.

Routes

  • Newberry via Fourth Street
  • Montoursville
  • Park Avenue - Garden View
  • Loyalsock
  • South Side - Duboistown
  • South Side - Route 15
  • East End - ManorCare
  • East End - Eldred Street
  • West Third Street - Industrial Park
  • West Third Street - Newberry Estates
  • Tri-Town Connector via Hughesville
  • Tri-Town Connector via Montgomery
  • Williamsport Regional Airport
  • Vallamont
  • Lycoming Mall
  • Downtown Connector
  • Jersey Shore Connector
  • Valley View Connector
  • Lysock View Express
  • Super Nightline East
  • Super Nightline West
  • Penn College Shuttle

Paratransit

RVTA also offers a paratransit service, River Valley Transit Plus. Service is offered to eligible passengers across a service area extending 3/4 of a mile from a fixed route.[13]

Fares

Current as of September 2008[14]

On the bus:

  • $2.00 - 1-ride
  • $2.50 - 2-ride OR 1-day

Passes purchased at the Trade & Transit Center:

  • $2.00 - 1-day
  • $10.00 - 7-day
  • $35.00 - 31-day
  • $10.00 - 10-ride
  • $18.00 - 20-ride
  • 4 for $5.00 - 1-ride tokens

Others:

  • Transfers - FREE
    • valid for (1) hour
  • Children age 5 or less - FREE
  • Youth age 17 or less - $1.00
  • Seniors age 65+ with ID
    • FREE
  • Disabled (with ID) - $1.00
  • Student (with ID) - $0.75 (school days only)
  • Full-time Lycoming College and Pennsylvania College of Technology students ride for free at all times by showing valid college-issued ID.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of March 2023.[15]

Fleet # Year Make Model Length Propulsion Engine
1107 2008 Gillig BRT 40' Diesel Cummins ISL
1108-1109 2008 35'
1201-1202 2011 40' Diesel Electric Cummins ISB6.7
1203 2011 35'
1204-1205 2012 35'
1206 2012 40'
1301 2012 Gillig BRT Plus 40' CNG Cummins Westport ISL G
1302 2013 40'
1303-1304 2013 35'
1305-1306 2016 35'
1307-1308 2017 35' Cummins Westport L9N
1309-1310 2017 40'
1311-1314 2018 35'
1315-1318 2018 40'
1319-1320 2019 35'
1321-1322 2019 40'
1323 2022 35'
1324 2022 40'
1402-1403 2021 29'
1404-1405 2022 29'

Previous Fleet

ManufactureModelLengthSeatsBus NumbersRetirement
MCI5012007 January
GMCRTS-0635 ft5022009 Summer
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-0640 ft6022009 Summer
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-0635 ft603unknown
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-0635 ft6042009 Summer
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-0635 ft704-7052007 January
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-06 40 ft 601
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-06 35 ft 32 701, 702, 706
New Flyer Industries D40LF 40 ft 39 801-803
Chance Coach RT-52 805, 806, 809, 810
Transportation Manufacturing Corporation RTS-08 35 ft 807, 808
New Flyer Industries D35LF 35 ft 29 901, 902, 905, 906
Optima Opus 30 ft 903, 904
Optima Opus 35 ft 907, 908
Freightliner van 909, 910
Gillig BRT 35 ft 1101–1103
Gillig BRT 40 ft 1104–1106, 1201

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lycoming County Ride Guide (PDF). Vol. 10. River Valley Transit. 2019-08-01.
  2. ↑ Fischer, William Jr. (2018-06-22). "Trade & Transit Centre Site History Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  3. ↑ Mariner, Cosmo (2021-07-22). "Joseph M. McDade Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  4. ↑ Maroney, Mark (2020-07-22). "City approves $91K agreement with Endless Mountains Transportation Authority". Williamsport Sun-Gazette.
  5. ↑ Maroney, Mark (2022-02-18). "River Valley Transit Authority created". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  6. ↑ "City Hall staff: River Valley Transit under investigation". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  7. ↑ Reiner, Anne (2021-12-21). "'Conflict of interest': Williamsport connection to Hiawatha, employee compensation raises questions". On the PULSE. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  8. ↑ Keating, Chris (2021-12-01). "PennDOT orders Williamsport to stop misusing transportation funds". WNEP.
  9. ↑ McGlynn, Rayna (2022-12-08). "RVTA, City of Williamsport under Federal investigation". WOLF. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  10. ↑ Pauling, Carrie (2022-12-08). "Williamsport, RVTA under investigation by Federal Transit Administration". NorthcentralPA.com.
  11. ↑ Pauling, Carrie (2021-10-19). "Evidence of fraud: River Valley Transit audit uncovers 'inconsistencies'". NorthcentralPA.com.
  12. ↑ Maroney, Mark (2021-10-20). "Auditors, Williamsport mayor: River Valley Transit finances 'alarming'". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  13. ↑ "River Valley Transit Plus". River Valley Transit Authority. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  14. ↑ "River Valley Transit: Fare Information". www.ridervt.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-17.
  15. ↑ "River Valley Transit". CPTDB Wiki. Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
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