The Lehigh Valley Transit Company began in 1868 with horse drawn cars that ferried people back and forth between Allentown's Black Bear Hotel, at Ninth and Hamilton streets and the Lehigh Valley Railroad Depot at Third and Hamilton streets. Within a few years, several small trolley companies appeared in the Lehigh Valley, establishing short routes to fulfill the transportation needs in the more populated areas.

In 1891, the Allentown-Bethlehem Rapid Transit Company switched from horse power to electric. On Aug. 2, 1891, that company finally brought the first trolley service to Bethlehem, with a stop at Broad and New streets. It cost riders five cents each way to travel to and from Rittersville.

In 1893 street railway entrepreneur Albert L. Johnson had a great vision to connect the various lines to provide transportation to New York City. Before Johnson died in 1901, he had connected over 60 villages and towns in the Lehigh Valley. He did not accomplish his dream, however, of reaching New York City.

Johnson was six feet tall with a powerful physique, so it was a great surprise to family and friends when Johnson died of a heart attack. The new owners of L. V. T. established the Liberty Bell Line in 1912 between Allentown and Philadelphia. Trolley service in the Lehigh Valley was essential to the public as a low cost and efficient way to travel, during the Great Depression and the gas rationing years of World War II.

After World War II, trolley ridership declined due to the popularity of automobiles. Lehigh Valley Transit Company replaced all of its trolleys with buses by 1953, with very little notice to the public. Because the trolley cars had not been well maintained for years, the popular opinion, at the time, was that this was a good move. Still ridership decreased from an average of 50 million trips in 1950 to just 2.6 million trips by 1971.

During the 1960s, private transportation companies were failing across the United States. In 1972, after L.V. T. announced that a sharp increase in fares was on the way, the Joint Planning Commission of Le¬high and Northampton counties urged for the establishment of a bi-county authority to operate bus transit. That same year L. V. T. sold its 66 buses, garage and office to the newly formed Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA), for $60,000. Charles M. Weeks, was named the first general manager of LANTA.

Over the years, LANTA has provided additional services, routes and continues to modernized its fleet. In 1973, seniors age 65 and older rode for free and three years later people with disabilities could ride for half fare. A subdivision (Metro Plus) of buses to provide transportation for the disabled was established in 1988. Two diesel minibuses were added to the fleet in 1992 and "Zippy" the electric bus was doing the downtown Allentown run in 1995.

In 2001, LANTA offered free bus rides to keep cars off the roads on smog-alert days. In 2003, passengers could use swipe cards for fare payment. Hybrid buses were added in 2009. LANTA celebrated its 40th year anniversary in 2012. Today, of the 83 buses in LANTA's bus fleet, 24 are now diesel hybrid electric buses. Best of all, one can ride all day with a $4 pass.