Holiday Service hours: 2012

In observance of New Year's Day, the following service modifications are noted for LANtaBus and LANtaVan services:

 






Regular service Monday, December 31st;  NO service Tuesday, January 1st; Regular service resumes Wednesday, January 2nd.

Customer service office hours:

Regular hours Monday, December 31st; Closed Tuesday, January 1st.

Business offices, Allentown and Easton:

Tuesday, January 1st, Closed 

Allentown Transportation Center, & the Bethlehem Metro Mart: 

Closed when buses are not running.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to customers, employees and all who support public transit!  Enjoy the holiday.  No service tomorrow, Nov 22; regular service resumes Friday.

LANtaBus and LANtaVan Services Resume Weds

The Authority has announced that LANtaBus and LANtaVan services will resume tomorrow morning, Wednesday, October 31, 2012.  LANtaBus routes and schedules will be operated on as normal a schedule as possible given the street conditions.  Passengers concerned about their LANtaVan trip, should call the carrier.  

The service cancellations that occurred over the past two days are extremely rare and were implemented because of the concern the Authority has for the safety of its passengers and employees and its fleet equipment.

Hurricane Sandy has been termed "the storm of the century" and the "worst storm conditions in recorded history."  The Authority acted in the most prudent manner possible given the conditions reported and observed.  These include local area flooding, street closures and unsafe conditions at bus stops.

We appreciate the patience of our customers during this most challenging period.

Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012 Service Suspended

LANTA has announced that LANtaBus service will be suspended on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 in response to very severe weather conditions caused by hurricane Sandy.  LANtaVan services are also cancelled except for semi-emergency medical service trips already scheduled.

LANTA Operations staff will continue to monitor conditions and service will be resumed as early as those conditions permit.

Such service cancellations are extremely rare and only implemented when the Authority believes that the safety of its passengers and employees would be in jeopardy if service was operated.

Hurricane Sandy has been termed "the storm of the century" and the "worst storm conditions in recorded history."  The Authority is acting in the most prudent manner possible given all the conditions reported and observed and these include local area flooding, street closures and unsafe conditions at bus stops.

We appreciate your patience and will resume service at the earliest possible opportunity.

No Service Monday, Oct 29, 2012

LANtaBus service will not be operated tomorrow, Monday, October 29, 2012 due to storm conditions caused by hurricane Sandy.  LANtaVan service will be very limited: only dialysis and major medical services that are life-sustaining.

Public transit services in the Valley are rarely cancelled.  Only in the event of major storm or snow conditions has service been interrupted.

We apologize for this inconvenience, but common sense informs us that the best place to be in the midst of this storm is home.

A message from Gov. Corbett: Hurricane Sandy: What to Expect

Follow @GovernorCorbett on Twitter or like Governor Corbett’s facebook page to get the latest updates on the storm and Pennsylvania’s response. Governor Corbett is advising Pennsylvanians on what to expect during Hurricane Sandy.

This storm is historic. Pennsylvania is currently operating under a state of emergency and Governor Corbett today requested a federal declaration of emergency from the President.  

Weather reports at this time indicate that Pennsylvania can expect the following over Monday and Tuesday of this week:

·   Sustained, high winds close to 45 miles per hour. These winds could be sustained in some areas for 24 to 36 hours.  

·   Heavy rainfall across the state, in some areas up to 10 inches total.

·   Snow in higher elevation areas in the western part of the state.

·   Possible flooding in low lying areas.

Click here to download a guide on how you can prepare.

LANTA Awarded Prestigious AdWheel Award

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recently announced the winner of their annual AdWheel Award for the most creative internet homepage from among their national membership. The 2012 award recognized Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANta) for “excellence in communications and web page design.”  The award was announced at the Annual APTA Conference in Seattle, Washington on October 2 (2012).

Entitled the “best of the best” in the public transportation industry, according to APTA, the annual AdWheel award winners “represent an outstanding role model of excellence, leadership and innovation whose development of their website have greatly advanced public transportation,” stated APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy.  The more than 500 applicants were categorized by size and specialty.  LANta qualified in the group of peer transit agencies with more than four million and fewer than 20 million passenger trips annually.

“An AdWheel Award recipient sets the bar for extraordinary public transit communications,” Melaniphy said. “We celebrate their remarkable ability to create engaging materials and messages to advance public transportation,” he added.

The web page, which was redesigned as part of the Authority’s Moving LANta Forward initiative implemented last year, was a result of a detailed analysis of LANta’s corporate identity and communications program.  The page (www.lantabus.com) was re-organized, given a new and modern design and tested for ease of use and quick access to bus information, including state-of the-art real-time information at the forefront of modern web-based marketing.

The web page was designed by Thiel Design / Brecon Hill Consulting, Milwaukee, WI.  LANta also recognized Genna Communications of Lower Macungie Township (PA), the Authority’s marketing consultant and Koury Enterprises, Lehigh Valley (PA), the authority’s webmaster and publisher for their roles in implementing the new website into the full marketing program.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public and private member organizations, engaged in the areas of public bus transit, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, as well as intercity and high-speed rail.  More than 90 percent of the people using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served by APTA member systems.

An Overview of Local Transit Services Vol 4 Issue 21 09/17/2012

       In August 2011 LANta changed the way bus routes were identified from a lettering system to a three-digit numbering system. This change, while initially confusing to some, was intended to make the system more user friendly. By designating the routes with three digit numbers, LANta was able to create route categories that provide the rider with an indication of the level of service provided by that route. 

Below is a description of the route categories: 

       100’s routes (i.e, 101,102, etc.) – These routes are the system’s “trunk” routes, the backbone of the system. They offer the highest level of service along corridors with the highest demand for public transportation in the Lehigh Valley. They will also act as the priority routes for future service enhancements as resources become available. The 100’s routes provide service Monday through Saturday throughout the day and into the evening hours, as well as during the day on Sunday. 

       200’s routes – (i.e. 209, 210, etc.) These routes serve urban corridors where there is less demand for public transportation than the trunk corroders. The 200’s routes provide service 13-hours a day, Monday through Saturday. 

       300’s routes – (i.e. 321, 322, 323) This series of routes provide service along more suburban corridors in the region where there is demand for public transportation, but the demand is limited. Service is provided Monday through Friday during day hours only. 

       400’s routes – (i.e. 410, 420, etc.) These routes operate during the school year only and provide added capacity to the LANtaBus system to meet the demand from Allentown School District students. 

       500’s routes – (501) These are the LANtaFlex routes. LANtaFlex is a flexible, reservation-based feeder service designed for more suburban areas. LANtaFlex was started as a pilot program in August 2011 in the Macungie-Alburtis area and has been successful to date.

       600’s routes - (i.e. 601, 602, etc.) – These are circulator and cross-town routes designed to address specific markets. Some of the specialty routes are the Route 602 - Whirlybird, which serves the shopping centers along MacArthur Road in Whitehall and the 601 - Bethlehem Loop which connects downtown Bethlehem with South Bethlehem destinations like ArtsQuest, NCC – Southside and the Sands Casino.