ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Facing an $11 million funding gap, LANTA plans to cut service by 20 percent on its fixed-route bus system and raise fares by 25 percent – its largest service cuts in decades, according to draft budget for the next fiscal year.
The Shared Ride for Seniors paratransit service also would have to absorb a 25 percent or more fare increase, according to projections.
“Absent any new funding, LANTA will need to move forward with significant service reductions which will include the elimination of full routes and the curtailment of hours and service frequencies on all remaining routes,” the transit agency said Tuesday in a statement.
“Evening and weekend service will see significant reductions. The availability of Shared Ride for Seniors paratransit service will need to be limited to only certain days of the week with restricted hours.”
Public meetings to be held
LANTA said it has an $8 million deficit on its bus system and an additional $3 million for the Shared Ride for Seniors services starting in the coming fiscal year.
While specific plans have yet to be finalized, the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority said it would plan to institute the changes in January 2026, or perhaps earlier.
Public meetings with more details on service reductions would be held later this year if the cuts become necessary, LANTA said.
The new fiscal year begins in July.
State funding hasn’t been adjusted since 2013, when Act 89 enabled funding for transit capital projects, LANTA said.
The agency has used federal COVID-19 relief funding the past three years to close budget gaps, but that money is gone.
State funding
In response to regional growth, LANTA says it has expanded service by about 25%, including to industrial parks in the Breinigsville and Palmer Township areas. LANTA also in 2023 implemented Enhanced Bus Service – increased service runs on its core bus network between the Lehigh Valley’s cities.
In its statement, LANTA noted the Lehigh Valley has grown by 50,000 people since 2010 and added 48 million square feet of industrial and warehouse space the past 10 years.
Funding for mass transit has been a statewide problem. Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed increasing the allocation of statewide sales tax revenue dedicated to public transit – from a 4.4% share to 6.15% of sales tax revenue.
LANTA says that would amount to about $7 million more a year in funding – enough to stop cuts to the fixed-route bus system and other service cuts.
“However, without a fix to the funding level and funding mechanism of the Shared Ride for Seniors program, LANTA would still require some adjustments to service levels to fixed route bus and Shared Ride for Seniors paratransit service,” LANTA’s budget statement says.
Shapiro initially proposed changing the sales tax allocation last year, but that didn't become part of the final state budget.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
