The formal merger of Berks and Lancaster counties' mass transit agencies is one step closer to being a done deal.
Lancaster County's board of commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to approve combining the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) and the Red Rose Transit Authority (RRTA).
The Berks County commissioners will vote Thursday.
If Berks approves the agreement, BARTA and the RRTA will combine to become the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA), operated and funded equally by both counties.
The merger likely won't have any noticeable impact on bus riders since most changes, officials said, will occur behind the scenes.
"The formation of a new joint authority will be accomplished without loss of transportation the communities served," according to the resolution voted on Wednesday.
The SCTA will combine BARTA and the RRTA's administrative, financial and purchasing functions, creating Pennsylvania's third largest transit agency by budget (behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) and the fourth in size by passengers and miles covered (behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and State College).
Red Rose's executive director, David Kilmer, has been overseeing BARTA since the death of that agency's longtime director, Dennis Louwerse, in 2013. Kilmer once served as BARTA's assistant executive.
BARTA began operations on Oct. 8, 1973, following the joint purchase of the Reading Bus Company by the city and county. The county took over sole operation of the agency in 2010. It currently operates a fleet of approximately 60 fixed-route buses and 40 paratransit vehicles.
The RRTA's fleet consists of 43 fixed-route buses. The agency has been operating since April 1, 1976.
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