Bus service in several communities will be eliminated within the next month.

Effective June 30, Route 503 — Slatington/Walnutport Flex, will formally be cut, along with five others, according to AJ Jordan, director of planning and scheduling, LANTA.

“The flex routes that are being cut are being cut due to low ridership, including Route 503,” Jordan said. “As with any service change, we’re always concerned about how riders are able to access the system.”

Jordan said that Route 503 has been averaging just 1.2 riders per day, and added it has shown low ridership since it started several years ago.

“We’ve been observing that low ridership and boarding of those riders and determined that all riders within the last year should be able to access other services,” he said, adding that includes bus Route 325, which serves Walnutport, Slatington, Palmerton, Lehigh Carbon Community College and Whitehall.

Jordan said all riders are being told on board, and all service changes are being posted on the website, lantabus.com, and on LANTA’s transit app.

He said LANTA is encouraging all riders to review these resources prior to June 30, and in particular, is encouraging riders to use the transit app because they can get door-to-door directions and real-time bus tracking when the service starts.

Jordan also mentioned a video on how to use the trans app that is available on LANTA’s website.

It was announced earlier this month that bus service in some communities may be changed or eliminated as LANTA released its draft budget for the next fiscal year.

Officials said at that time that cuts in service may take place along various routes in the Lehigh Valley area if additional funding isn’t secured to close a multimillion dollar deficit.

The draft budget includes assumptions that would include about a 20% reduction in services, the largest service cut instituted by the transit authority in decades, as well as a fare increase of 25% on the fixed route bus system and 25% or more on the Shared Ride for Seniors paratransit service in the Lehigh Valley. The actions are being proposed to address an annual recurring unfunded deficit of approximately $8 million on the bus system and an additional $3 million for the Shared Ride for Seniors services starting in the coming fiscal year.

Carbon Transit, which is operated through LANTA, was not directly mentioned in the cuts or changes to service; however, in the 104-page proposed budget, it states that there is an operating deficit for the Senior Shared Ride program and fare increases are not being ruled out. That includes increasing the ADA fare from $3 to $5 effective Jan. 1.

“The FY 2026 budget reflects a $264,898 unfunded deficit applicable to the PennDOT Lottery sponsored Senior Shared Ride Program. For budgeting purposes, the deficit will remain unfunded for the fiscal year,” the proposed budget reports. “In addition to Jan. 1, 2026 fare increases, staff will be pursuing additional actions to remediate the deficit in FY 2026 and future fiscal years including the use of alternative grant sources, changes to program parameters and service delivery.”

In addition, it also proposes a reduction of the zone fare structure; keeping the same rate for in-county purchased transportation rates and transportation fixed cost rates; and an 8.2% increase for Medical Assistance out-of-county rates.

The transit system provides approximately 27,897 trips annually in Carbon County, utilized by seniors, disabled residents and those needing transportation to medical appointments.

While these are only proposed changes based on the figures currently provided to LANTA, the final budget will be based on the state’s allocation.

In 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed an increase in the allocation of statewide sales tax revenue dedicated to transit operating assistance from 4.4% of revenue to 6.15%.

At that time, the state House of Representatives passed legislation that included the transit funding increase, but the adjustment did not make it into the final budget. Shapiro again included his proposal in his budget address this year.

If it is approved by the state, the allocation would provide an annual funding increase of over $7 million to LANTA for services it provides to Carbon and the Lehigh Valley, greatly reducing the need for some route eliminations and fare increases.

“This funding increase would address the immediate funding gap on the fixed route bus system and could allow LANTA to avoid crippling service cuts,” the organization stated in a release. “However, without a fix to the funding level and funding mechanism of the Shared Ride for Seniors program, LANTA would still require some adjustments to service levels to fixed route bus and Shared Ride for Seniors paratransit service.”

Specific plans have not yet been finalized, but LANTA said that it would plan for the service cuts to be instituted in January 2026 or earlier. If it is necessary to implement service cuts, LANTA would hold public meetings later in the year to present the specific service reduction plans as well as the plan for fare increases.