Transit Planning
Old Colony Planning Council seeks to improve the public transit user experience, expand mobility options, help the Commonwealth obtain its transportation mode shift goals and help reduce climate changing greenhouse gases. The Brockton Area Transit (BAT), Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA), and the MBTA all work towards the common goal of reducing traffic congestion on the roadways system by providing a service that encourages mode shift away from single occupancy vehicle trips to trips via transit.
Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT)
The Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT) was established in 1974. BAT’s Intermodal Transportation Centre (BAT Centre), adjacent to MBTA Old Colony Rail Station, serves as the transit hub for the South Shore and Greater Brockton areas. BAT has a distinctive coalition with the local business community; BAT’s innovative transportation solutions have contributed positively to their service area’s economy.
BAT’s fixed route service connects neighboring communities and the Central Business District in Boston, as well as major industrial parks, three colleges, medical facilities, shopping centers and area commuter rails. Service is offered seven days a week. Weekday service to the MBTA’s Ashmont Station begins at 4:50 am and ends at 12:30 am. Weekday service in the City of Brockton and neighboring communities begins at 6 am and ends at 9 pm with reduced service on Saturdays and Sundays. Please the Connections page for more information.
BAT’s DIAL-A-BAT service provides transportation to disabled and elderly persons throughout BAT’s service area as well as to medical facilities in Boston.
For more information, please visit: BAT – Brockton Area Transit
BAT contracts with OCPC to conduct the preparation of their Title VI Report and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plan. Click here for the 2020 BAT Title VI (Revised 2022). Click here for the 2023 BAT Title VI Report, which was approved by the BAT Advisory Board at their May 25, 2023 meeting.
Greater Attleboro- Tauton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA)
The Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) was created in 1976 to develop, finance, and contract for the operations of mass transportation facilities and services within an ever-expanding area, which includes 28 diverse communities stretching from Southern Norfolk County and Northern Bristol County, all the way to Plymouth County and the South Shore.
Over the years, GATRA has had a long-standing tradition of providing quality transportation services geared to improve the quality of life and assist customers in becoming more transportation independent. Today, GATRA oversees operations of fixed route bus services in the cities of Attleboro and Taunton, and the towns of Duxbury, Foxborough, Franklin, Kingston, Mansfield, Marshfield, Middleborough, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Plymouth, Raynham, Seekonk, Wareham, and Wrentham. All 28 member communities have demand response (Dial-A-Ride) services for people with disabilities and seniors. In 2014, GATRA launched a new tri-town bus route that serves the MCI facilities, the MBTA station in Norfolk, and Patriot Place in Foxborough.
For more information, please visit: GATRA – Greater Attleboro and Taunton Regional Transit Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
In addition to services provided by BAT and GATRA, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provide bus and commuter rail service throughout the region. In 1997, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) restored Commuter Rail to the region. The Middleboro/Lakeville line extended this service through the OCPC communities of Bridgewater and Brockton, and on to South Station in Boston. The Plymouth/Kingston line established stations in six OCPC towns: Plymouth, Kingston, Halifax, Hanson, Whitman, and Abington. One of the current MBTA initiatives is the South Coast Rail Project.
For more information, please visit: MBTA- Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority
The South Coast Rail (SCR) project will restore commuter rail service between Boston and southeastern Massachusetts by the end of 2023, enhance regional mobility while supporting smart growth planning and development strategies, and reconnect this region to jobs and generate economic development. The South Coast Rail consists of two phases:
Phase 1 will provide a one-seat ride by extending the existing Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail line from Boston to Taunton, Fall River, and New Bedford and it will deliver service to the South Coast later in 2024.
Full Build would be the extension of Commuter Rail service to continue travel on the Stoughton branch of the Providence/Stoughton line, connecting to more communities in the region. In 2021, the design team began conceptual design work and preliminary engineering to seek permits and funding.
For additional information, please visit the South Coast Rail | Projects | MBTA
SSCAC provides door-to-door Transportation for people who are elderly and/or disabled so they can access critical programs and services they need. The SSCAC Transportation services are provided Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. If you are elderly or have a disability, you may be eligible for transportation.
For more information, please visit: SSCAC Transportation
The Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP) identifies the region’s unmet human-service transportation needs, describes the region’s current transportation network and transportation providing agencies and provides ideas for improving transportation services. The CHST Plan is prepared by the MPO to allow organizations in the region to be eligible to receive funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 transit funding program and the MassDOT Community Transit Grant Program (CTG). Such programs may provide capital and operations funding for services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
The 2023 CHST Plan is available HERE.
