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A BAT bus passing by the BAT Centre in Brockton in 2017 | |
Formerly | Union Street Railway |
---|---|
Founded | 1974 |
Headquarters | 155 Court Street |
Locale | Brockton, MA |
Service type | bus service, paratransit |
Routes | 14 |
Hubs | 10 Commercial St. |
Stations | Ashmont Station |
Lounge | 10 Commercial St. |
Operator | East Coast Transit Services |
Chief executive | Michael Lambert |
Website | ridebat.com |
Brockton Area Transit Authority, branded as Brockton Area Transit (BAT), is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Brockton area, consisting of the city of Brockton and the adjoining towns of Abington, Avon, East Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph, Rockland, Stoughton & West Bridgewater.[1][2]
BAT provides fixed route bus services and paratransit services within its area. BAT's buses provide interchange with each other and with the Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) at Brockton station. BAT also runs a fixed route bus service from Brockton to Boston's Ashmont station on MBTA's Red subway line.[3]
As of 2018[update], BAT operated a fleet of 41 Gillig Low Floor buses, 19 Ford Elkhart Coach buses, and 40 minibuses of two types.[4]
All BAT transit buses accept cash payment or allow fare to be paid via CharlieCard.
Brockton bus service was previously operated by Union Street Railway, until a protracted labor strike prompted the city to buy the routes and buses in September 1973. One year later, this system was reorganized as BAT to secure state funding, and encourage regional participation.[5]
Many routes leaving the BAT Centre in Brockton are scheduled on a pulse system - meeting at the central hub simultaneously - to provide easy transfers.[6]
Twelve routes primarily serve Brockton & nearby towns :[3]
Four longer routes run to other towns:
Five routes - four on-campus shuttles, and route 28 to the BAT Centre - serve Bridgewater State University.
BAT also offers door-to-door para-transit service called Dial-a-BAT.[3]