In 1992, BARTA became the first small public transit agency in the United States to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.

A grant from the Federal Transit Administration in 1993 allowed BARTA to eliminate the pedestrian mall along Penn Street in downtown Reading and reopen the road to traffic.

The former Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station was refurbished and reopened to bus service on September 9, 2013.

[5] However, BARTA discontinued its service to Lebanon on January 31, 2014, due to low ridership.

[citation needed] Dennis D. Louwerse, the long-time executive director/CEO at BARTA, died on Thursday, September 5, 2013, at the age of 68.

Medicare Card holders and disabled people with proper ID may ride BARTA for $0.85.

The 31 Day Pass provides unlimited rides in a 31-day period and costs $47.00 for Adult Anywhere and $29.00 for Student Anywhere.

[4][10] The former Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station was refurbished and also has bus service.

As of 2015[update], BARTA has received additional Gillig BRT hybrids, which are series hybrids equipped with BAE Systems HybriDrive Series-E.[12] Fewer passengers have been riding the bus due to COVID-19 so there are fewer active buses in the fleet.

Often referred to as “Paratransit,” Shared Ride operates during limited hours and specific travel areas.