# MATP in Berks County, PA: How BARTA Special Services Works for NEMT Companies

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/berks-county/ · Updated 2026-09-30

MATP in Berks County, PA is run by BARTA Special Services, the shared ride division of the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority, at 610-921-2361. The South Central Transit Authority holds the state grant and manages BARTA. BARTA drives part of the schedule with its own drivers and Easton Coach drives the rest, so a new company gets in through overflow work, a subcontract, or the next shared ride bid.

- Berks County has run human service trips through its transit system since 1978, and BARTA Special Services is where MATP rides are booked.
- BARTA drives part of the schedule itself and uses Easton Coach to supplement it, under a shared ride contract SCTA awarded on April 15, 2026.
- Local agencies have taken BARTA trips when its schedule was full, which is the most direct opening for a small Berks company.
- Fares went up about 20% on August 1, 2026, the first increase since 2017, while SCTA's shared ride program ran a $5.5 million deficit.

## Berks County NEMT at a glance

| Fact | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Who runs MATP | BARTA Special Services, 1700 North 11th Street, Reading, managed by the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA) |
| Why there is no county bid | Berks is one of 13 counties that let the Department of Human Services manage MATP. DHS pays SCTA directly under a grant it awards without competition. |
| Ride line | 610-921-2361 or 800-383-2278, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On weekends and holidays the line takes messages and ADA trip requests. |
| Who drives | BARTA's own drivers and one private carrier, Easton Coach Co. (August 2026 rider guide) |
| Monthly volume | 35,029 SCTA shared ride trips across Berks and Lancaster in June 2026, with Reading's shared ride ridership up 8.9% from a year earlier |
| Full fares from August 1, 2026 | $17.50 for under 2 miles up to $56.00 for more than 16, and $60.00 for trips up to 10 miles past the county line. MATP riders ride free. |
| Vans | SCTA buys them. In June 2026 its board approved 8 replacement shared ride vans for Reading at $146,395.75 each. |
| Trip volume | 88,205 MATP trips in fiscal 2024-25 for Berks and Lancaster together, out of 362,373 SCTA shared ride trips |
| Health plans | HealthChoices Lehigh/Capital zone: AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania, Geisinger, Jefferson Health Plans EverWell, Highmark Wholecare, UPMC for You |

## Who arranges rides here

- [BARTA Special Services](https://www.bartabus.com/barta-special-services/programs-eligibility/medical-assistance-program): Takes MATP applications and books Medical Assistance rides for Berks County residents. (610) 921-2361
- [BARTA urgent care line](https://www.bartabus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BARTA-Medical-Assistance-Transportation-Program.pdf): Arranges urgent care rides after hours and on weekends, for a rider's doctor or specialist. (610) 451-6761
- [South Central Transit Authority](https://www.sctapa.com/what-were-about/procurement/overview): Holds the state MATP grant for Berks and buys shared ride service and vans for BARTA. (717) 397-5612
- [City of Reading Citizens' Service Center](https://www.readingpa.gov/tax-rates-forms-and-instructions): Issues the Business Privilege License a company based in Reading needs. (877) 727-3234

Berks County books its Medical Assistance rides at BARTA Special Services in Reading, and BARTA both drives trips and hands some to a private carrier. For a small NEMT company, that mix matters: Berks has a public operator with its own drivers that has used outside help when its schedule fills.

Statewide, Pennsylvania's Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) is run county by county, with Philadelphia the one county under a broker, and any paid ride needs Public Utility Commission authority. The [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) covers that authority, the driver clearances, and the trip standards. Below is how Berks does it.

## Who runs MATP in Berks County

BARTA has run coordinated human service transportation in Berks since 1978. That year the County Commissioners ordered 33 publicly funded social service agencies to end their own transportation programs and move them to the transit system, according to the county's coordinated plan adopted November 10, 2022. The plan says BARTA's Special Services Division runs virtually all human service transportation in the county, including shared ride, ADA paratransit, and MATP.

The money comes a different way than in most counties. Berks and Lancaster formed the South Central Transit Authority (SCTA) to manage BARTA and Red Rose Transit. The state's June 25, 2026 broker study counts Berks among 13 counties that let the Department of Human Services (DHS) manage MATP, under two direct agreements with transit agencies. SCTA holds the one for Berks and Lancaster, so the county does not issue an MATP bid. See [the broker study](https://nemtguide.com/news/pennsylvania-matp-broker-study/).

### How riders get rides

Riders call 610-921-2361 (toll free 800-383-2278) between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. They can apply online through PennDOT's Find My Ride Apply, and they may ride for up to 30 days before BARTA has their signed application. BARTA picks the least costly mode that fits:

- **Bus passes** for riders who live along a BARTA route and can use it.
- **Mileage** at $0.25 a mile as of August 2026, claimed within 60 days of the appointment and paid every two weeks.
- **Door-to-door shared rides** in wheelchair accessible vans, booked at least a day ahead and up to two weeks out.

Trips outside Berks must be booked by 5:30 p.m. at least two weekdays before the appointment. For an urgent care ride after hours or on a weekend, the rider's doctor or specialist calls 610-451-6761. In business hours, BARTA secures urgent rides within three hours. BARTA also carries some Montgomery County residents who live within 10 miles of Berks to the Boyertown Multi-Service Senior Center when it has vans free.

| MATP door-to-door hours (August 2026) | Earliest | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 4:45 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 5:30 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10:00 a.m. | 7:15 p.m. |

Those hours cover trips that begin and end within three quarters of a mile of a BARTA bus route. Countywide weekday times vary with where the rider lives. Unlike Lancaster's service, BARTA's holiday list does not include Easter Sunday.

## Who drives Berks County trips

BARTA's August 2026 guide describes Special Services as a countywide shared ride service run by BARTA and one private transportation provider, Easton Coach Co. On April 15, 2026, SCTA's board awarded its shared ride service contract to Easton Coach, the only company that sent a proposal, for service in Lancaster and to supplement BARTA's own service in Reading. Terms were still being negotiated at that meeting, and the fiscal 2026-27 budget approved in July carries funding for a new shared ride contract.

The same 2022 plan says some local agencies subcontract through BARTA to carry Special Services riders when BARTA hits the limits of its schedule. One, a nonprofit in Boyertown, takes occasional trips Special Services cannot cover and is paid for them. That is the plainest opening in Berks for a small company with the right vans.

For scale, SCTA reported 35,029 shared ride trips across both counties in June 2026, and Reading's shared ride ridership was 8.9% higher than in June 2025.

SCTA buys the vans. On June 17, 2026, the board approved 8 shared ride vans for Reading at $146,395.75 each, $1,171,166 in all, to replace 8 Ford vans from 2022. The executive director said they cost more than Lancaster's because BARTA's branding is more complex. PennDOT counts 23 vehicles funded for SCTA in the Reading urbanized area through the Section 5310 program in fiscal 2020 through 2024. See [Section 5310 grants](https://nemtguide.com/guides/section-5310-grants/).

## What Berks County shared ride trips cost

SCTA raised shared ride fares on August 1, 2026, by about 20%, the first increase since 2017. At the July 15, 2026 board meeting, after the Reading public hearing on July 1, the executive director reported the shared ride program running a $5.5 million deficit. These are BARTA's full fares, the price for a rider or sponsor who pays the whole trip:

| Distance | Full fare | Senior 15% co-pay |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 miles | $17.50 | $2.65 |
| 2 to 3.99 miles | $22.50 | $3.40 |
| 4 to 5.99 miles | $27.50 | $4.15 |
| 6 to 9.99 miles | $38.50 | $5.80 |
| 10 to 15.99 miles | $48.00 | $7.20 |
| More than 16 miles | $56.00 | $8.40 |
| Up to 10 miles outside the county line | $60.00 | $9.00 |

MATP riders pay nothing, and neither does an MATP escort. For DHS's side, the 2019 renewal of SCTA's grant paid $24.00 per completed trip for the first 237,000 trips in the two counties from July 2019 to June 2020, and $20.10 after that. Lancaster's figures are on the [Lancaster County page](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/). PennDOT's fiscal 2024-25 report counts 88,205 MATP trips for Berks and Lancaster together.

## How to get MATP work in Berks County

### Ask BARTA about overflow

Call Special Services and ask whether it still sends trips to outside carriers when its schedule fills, which service levels and parts of the county are short, and what insurance and driver checks it wants. The 2022 plan's examples of agencies filling BARTA's gaps were in outlying areas, around Boyertown and in northern Berks.

### Ask the carrier

Easton Coach supplements BARTA under the April 2026 award. Ask whether it takes subcontractors for Berks runs. Read [how to subcontract NEMT trips](https://nemtguide.com/guides/subcontract-nemt-trips/) before you quote.

### Be ready for SCTA's next bid

Register on SCTA's vendor form, choosing "Other" and writing in shared ride service, and open a PennBid account, since SCTA posts some solicitations there. Board meetings alternate between Reading and Lancaster, and the Reading meetings are held at 1700 North 11th Street. On April 29, 2026, DHS singled out SCTA's inclement weather policy on its statewide MATP administrators' call, so bring a written [bad weather plan](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-bad-weather-policy/) to any proposal.

### Register in Reading

A business located in the City of Reading needs the city's Business Privilege License, and its January 2024 application lists a yearly $55 fee. Zoning approval comes first. Any business working in the city on 15 or more days a year also files the Business Privilege Tax, due June 15 after the first two years, with a 2% discount for paying by April 15.

### Stretcher trips and nearby counties

Stretcher and ambulance rides fall outside MATP and go to the rider's HealthChoices plan, and Berks is in the Lehigh/Capital zone with five plans, including [UPMC for You](https://nemtguide.com/health-plans/upmc-for-you-pennsylvania/). Next door, [Lehigh County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/lehigh-county/) books MATP through LANTA, while [Montgomery County](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/montgomery-county/), Schuylkill County, and Lebanon County each list their own MATP office with DHS.

## What to do first

1. **Get PUC paratransit authority** with Berks County in your territory. The state guide explains the process, which takes three months or more.
2. **Call BARTA Special Services at 610-921-2361** and ask for whoever manages outside carriers, not reservations.
3. **Ask Easton Coach** about subcontract runs in Berks.
4. **Register with SCTA** and PennBid, and read the monthly board agendas.
5. **Get your Reading Business Privilege License** if you will work in the city.
6. **Ask the five Lehigh/Capital health plans** how they buy stretcher and ambulance rides, since MATP sends those to them.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the phone number for MATP in Berks County, PA?

BARTA Special Services takes MATP calls at 610-921-2361, or toll free at 800-383-2278, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For an urgent care ride after hours or on a weekend, the rider's doctor or specialist calls 610-451-6761.

### Who provides MATP rides in Berks County?

BARTA Special Services, part of the Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority in Reading. The South Central Transit Authority, formed by Berks and Lancaster counties, holds the MATP grant from the Department of Human Services. BARTA's August 2026 guide says the trips are driven by BARTA and Easton Coach Co.

### How do I get MATP work in Berks County as a small NEMT company?

Start with BARTA. The county's 2022 transportation plan says some local agencies subcontract through BARTA to take Special Services trips when BARTA's own schedule is full. Ask BARTA whether it uses outside carriers for overflow and what it requires. Then ask Easton Coach about subcontract work, and register with SCTA so you hear about the next shared ride bid.

### How do Berks County residents apply for MATP?

Online through PennDOT's Find My Ride Apply, or on BARTA's paper form sent by mail, fax to 610-921-0209, or email. Riders can ride for up to 30 days while BARTA waits for the signed application. BARTA suggests riders under 65 with a disability also file ADA and Persons with Disabilities applications, and it decides ADA eligibility within 21 days.

### What does a BARTA Special Services trip cost?

MATP trips are free to the rider and to a needed escort. For other riders, the full fare from August 1, 2026 runs from $17.50 for under 2 miles to $56.00 for more than 16 miles, with $60.00 for trips up to 10 miles past the county line. Seniors pay a 15% co-pay, from $2.65 to $9.00, and an ADA trip costs $3.60.

### Does BARTA Special Services run on Sundays?

Yes, from 10 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., for MATP trips that start and end within three quarters of a mile of a BARTA bus route. Weekday service runs from 4:45 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday service from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the same terms. Service generally stops on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

## Official resources

- [BARTA Special Services Guide (August 2026)](https://www.bartabus.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-BARTA-Guide-Booklet-August-2026.pdf)
- [BARTA: Medical Assistance Transportation Program](https://www.bartabus.com/barta-special-services/programs-eligibility/medical-assistance-program)
- [South Central Transit Authority: Board meetings, agendas and minutes](https://www.sctapa.com/what-were-about/about-us/board-meetings)
- [South Central Transit Authority: Vendor registration form](https://www.sctapa.com/what-were-about/procurement/vendor-registration-form)
- [City of Reading: Tax rates, forms and instructions](https://www.readingpa.gov/tax-rates-forms-and-instructions)