LANTA Could Face 20% Service Reduction in January

Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA) is seeking $701,727 from NorCo in 2026, and Executive Lamont McClure has proposed $701,800. 

Exec. Director Owen O'Neill explained that this money is leveraged to obtain much larger grants from the state and federal government to operate and maintain our region's buses. 

Funding for LANTA is based on the amount of service provided to each county. 57% of LANTA's bus system serves Lehigh County, while only 43% serves NorCo. 

Although funding is uncertain as a result of a state budget impasse, O'Neill noted that SEPTA and Pittsburgh have been approved by PennDOT for flex funding, and LANTA has applied for this as well. If this application fails, O'Neill said there would likely be a 20% reduction in service in January. He also said fare increases have gone into effect. "We have tried to keep them stable as long as we can," he observed, adding that fares had not gone up since 2014.