| Butler County Regional Transit Authority | |
| Founded: | 1994 |
| Headquarters: | 3045 Moser Court, Hamilton, OH |
| Locale: | Hamilton, Middletown and Oxford |
| Service Area: | Butler County, Ohio |
| Service Type: | Bus service, paratransit |
| Routes: | 12 |
| Stations: | Middletown Transit Station |
| Annual Ridership: | 417,782 (2022) |
| Website: | Butler County RTA |
Butler County Regional Transit Authority, also stylized as BCRTA, is the primary provider of mass transportation in Butler County, Ohio with twelve routes serving the region. As of 2019, the system provided 620,233 rides over 70,789 annual vehicle revenue hours with 18 buses and 17 paratransit vehicles.[1]
Public transit in Hamilton began with horsecars in 1875, with Middletown beginning horsecar service in 1879. Horsecars in both cities were replaced with electric streetcars in the 1880s and 1890s, which in turn were replaced by buses in 1918 in Middletown and in 1932 in Hamilton.[2]
The BCRTA will be fare-free through 2024.[3] Service from Middletown to West Chester and Cincinnati has been proposed numerous times in recent years.[4] The service would utilize commuter buses and provide express service to downtown Cincinnati.[5] Previously commuter buses connected Middletown, Monroe and Dayton, where riders could transfer to the Dayton RTA.[6]
Butler County RTA operates 12 regular weekday bus routes centered on Middletown and Oxford. Four routes operate in Middletown, five in Oxford, with three regional services connecting Hamilton, Middletown and Oxford. The R6 Job Connector provides connections to SORTA in Springdale.[7]
Hours of operation for the system are Monday through Friday from 6:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. Service in Middletown is provided from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Saturdays. There is no service on Sundays. Fixed route services are fare-free.[8]
Butler county RTA's fleet consist of a variety of vehicles that are used for Fixed route (FR), and demand response (DR) services.
| 2016 | 1601-1606 | Ford | 1601 FR equipped. | Hamilton | 1601 active. All others retired | |
| 2017 | 1797-1799749-750 | Ford | 749 FR equipped. | Hamilton &Middletown. | 1797-1799 are retired.749 and 750 purchased by Middletown. | |
| 2018 | 1895-1899 | Ford | 1895 FR equipped. | Hamilton. | 1899 retired. | |
| 2020 | 2080-2091 | Ford | 2080-2082, 2084, 2088,and 2091 FR equipped. | Hamilton &Oxford. | 2091 has 16 seats. | |
| 2022 | 2280 | Ford | Demand Response | Hamilton. | 2280 is not equipped with a headsign. | |
| 2024 | 2501-2507 | Ford | 2501, 2503, 2505 & 2507FR equipped. | Hamilton. | In service as of June. |
| 2015 | 1501-15121520-1521 | Gillig &Ford | FR only | Oxford & Hamilton. | 1520-1521 are Ford F-550's.(referred to as bullets). | |
| 2016 | 640-6441607-1609 | Gillig | FR only | Middletown, OxfordAnd Hamilton. | 640-644 purchased byMiddletown. | |
| 2019 | 1901-1904 | Gillig | FR only | Oxford | Trolley body's. | |
| 2021 | 645 | Gillig | FR only | Middletown | Purchased by Middletown. | |
| 2022 | 2201-22052301-2303 | MCI's | Cincylinkonly. | Hamilton | Funded by Middletown,Powered by BCRTA. |
The ridership statistics shown here are for fixed route services only and do not include demand response services.[9]