The Beginning
In 1973, The Bay County Board of Commissioners organized the Bay County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (BCMTA) as a regional transportation authority under Michigan Public Act 204 of 1967. The Board of Directors were appointed by the Governor of Michigan for staggered three-year terms. In 1992, the BCMTA Board of Directors reorganized the agency as a public transportation authority under Public Act 196 of 1986. The Board of Directors is now appointed by the Chairman of the Bay County Board of Commissioners. As part of its reorganization, the BCMTA was renamed the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority (BMTA).
Locations
When it began providing transit services on July 15, 1974, Bay Metro operated out of a small building located at 1211 N. Madison Avenue in Bay City. In 1976, the operations were moved from Madison Avenue to 621 N. Water Street, across from Wenonah Park. In 1980, construction of the present 50,000-square-foot administration/operations/maintenance facility began on property purchased from the City of Bay City in the Patterson-Belinda renewal area. This building, located at 1510 N. Johnson Street, was occupied in the fall of 1981. The cost to construct the facility was paid entirely from capital grants proved by the U.S. Department of Transportation (80%) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (20%).
In the late 1980’s, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) awarded Bay Metro a grant to construct an intermodal transportation facility in Bay City. In 1991, work was completed on the present Central Bus Station located at 1124 Washington Avenue. This facility serves passengers with Indian Trails as well as Bay Metro’s passengers.
Services
The Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Bay Metro Transit) began operations in July 1974 with only nine buses and a few routes. The bus system was established to serve all of Bay County, but the service was concentrated mostly in the Bay City Urban Area which includes the cities of Bay City and Essexville and townships of Bangor, Monitor, Hampton, and Portsmouth. Since 1982, Bay Metro has provided daily linehaul bus service to outlying areas in Bay County, such as Pinconning, Linwood, Auburn, Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University. A countywide demand-response system, Dial A Ride (DART), is also provided by Bay Metro, which basically serves the needs of elderly and individuals with disabilities. Additional service for special community events is provided throughout the year also. As of September 2022, BMTA operates a fleet of 56 accessible vehicles, which includes 16 lift-equipped vans.
Wheels
In 1974, Bay Metro began offering fixed route bus service to residents of the community using nine 1974 Fixette buses.
These were small 22-seat buses that resembled bread trucks. In 1980 and 1981, BMTA began using 29-seat TMC coaches equipped with wheelchair lifts.
Bay Metro was expanding with tripper routes and contract service for disabled individuals and school children going to work and school. To meet this demand, 35 very large 40-foot GMC buses were acquired from other transit agencies. In 1984, ten 29-seat Bluebird buses and ten 47-seat Gillig buses were purchased as replacements.
In 1985, BMTA acquired ten used 40-foot Grumman buses to use until new replacements arrived. In 1987, seven 29-seat Orion I buses and five 22-seat Thomas bus arrived.
In 1994 – 1999, Bay Metro made a concerted effort to replace the fleet with Orion II’s, small low-floor 22-seat buses and lift vans, while maintaining some needed large buses. Orion II’s were used until 2020.
A few other types of buses were used throughout the years; Superior, Trolley’s, Trans Coach, etc. The current fleet consists of 30 and 40-feet Gilligs, Champion Cutaways, and Ford lift vans.
