- Community Transit
-
Slogan smile & ride Founded October 4, 1976[1] Headquarters 7100 Hardeson Road,
Everett, WA[2]Locale Puget Sound region Service area Snohomish County, Washington Service type Bus Alliance Sound Transit Routes 55
SWIFT BRT: 1
Local: 28
Commuter: 16 (not including five Sound Transit ST Express routes CT is contracted) [1]Stops 2,100+[1] Stations 2 (Lynnwood Transit Center, Everett Station) Fleet 269 buses (excluding ST Express buses), 358 vanpool vans[1] Fuel type (Buses) Ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel; some diesel-electric hybrids Operator Snohomish County, Washington; Commuter routes in conjunction with Sound Transit Chief executive Joyce Eleanor[3] Web site http://www.commtrans.org/ Community Transit is the main public transit authority of Snohomish County, Washington (with the exception of the City of Everett, which operates its own transit service). It operates buses within Snohomish County and to downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, and Seattle's Eastside suburbs in King County.
Contents
History
Community Transit service began October 4, 1976. The original member cities were Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Woodway, Marysville, and Snohomish. Monroe and Lake Stevens joined the system in 1977, and two years later they were joined by Stanwood, Granite Falls, Mukilteo, and Sultan. Arlington joined in 1980, and was followed by Gold Bar, Index, and Startup in 1981. Oso and Darrington joined in 1982, Mill Creek joined in 1983. The most recent to join was Bothell, in 1992. The only city in the county that maintains its own transit system is Everett, the county seat (Everett Transit), though Community Transit does run some buses there.
Services
Community Transit currently operates local and commuter bus routes, vanpools, and paratransit services.
Bus service
Refer to the List of Community Transit Bus Routes
Community Transit approved a major service change and 15 percent service cut in June 2010 to deal with increasing budget problems. The change included a reduction or cancellation of service on many lines and the suspension of all Sunday and Holiday Service. The agency is planning on an additional 20 percent service cut to take effect in February 2012.[4]
Local bus routes
As of 2010, Community Transit operates 28 routes in Snohomish County.[1] These routes, covering a service area of 3,367 square kilometers (1,300 sq mi)[1] serve most communities within the county, with the exception of certain smaller communities on U.S. Highway 2 east of Gold Bar.
A Community Transit bus stop in Lynnwood, WA
The vast majority of routes operate from the early morning hours until the evening, with reduced schedules on weekends and holidays. Certain routes, such as routes that travel to Boeing's Everett facility, operate only in a peak direction and/or only at certain times (to Boeing in the morning, away from Boeing in the afternoon), while other routes can have variations depending on the time of day. Usually, but not always, these 'alternate' routes have a distinct route number to help commuters differentiate (e.g., the 200/201/202 route, which takes one of three paths at different times of day[5]). However, some routes, like the 280 route which serves Granite Falls, simply add on extra sections at various times of day without changing the route number.[6] This is usually the case when the additional routing would not otherwise interfere with the normal route.
Commuter bus routes
In addition to local service, Community Transit also operates 31 commuter routes in conjunction with Sound Transit.[1] Most of these routes operate in a peak-flow capacity, taking passengers from various communities to Seattle, Bellevue, or the University District (University of Washington) in the morning hours and bringing them back in the afternoon and evening. A few routes, under the direction of Sound Transit, provide round trip service throughout the day to major destinations in the county, such as Everett or Lynnwood. Most commuter buses serve one of the 20 park and ride lots within the county as well as limited stops within the communities they originate from.
Bus Rapid Transit
Main article: SWIFT Bus Rapid TransitCommunity Transit operates a Bus Rapid Transit line called Swift along Highway 99 between Aurora Village Transit Center and Everett Station. Swift opened on November 29, 2009 and operates every 10 to 20 Minutes between 5am and 12am daily.
Vanpool services
Community Transit also provides vanpool service. These allow for more flexibility than traditional fixed-bus routes in that the riders—who also take turns driving the van—decide their own routing, thus allowing non-traditional commuters, including those without access to fixed routes or those whose transport needs are not met by fixed routes, to still utilize transit services. In exchange for a monthly fee that varies depending on mileage and size of van, Community Transit provides the vehicle, maintenance, fuel, insurance, and other miscellaneous needs.[7] With 333 vans as of August 2007, the vanpool service is the third largest in the United States.[8]
Paratransit services
Community Transit also provides paratransit services for those who live within a three-quarters of a mile of a local fixed-bus route. This service, called DART or Dial-A-Ride Transportation, provides those with conditions that prevent normal bus usage to reach their destinations.[9]
Current Bus Fleet
A New Flyer D40i Invero bus
A New Flyer D30LF in Lynnwood, WAYear Manufacturer Model Engine Serial Number Qty 1995 New Flyer D40LF Detroit Diesel Series 50 5101-5130 30 D60 5814-5837 24 1996 D30LF Detroit Diesel Series 40 7600-7623 24 1997 7624-7647 24 1998 D40LF Detroit Diesel Series 50 8131-8151 20 D60LF 8838-8854 17 1999 D40LF 9152-9171 20 2000 D60LF 20855-20872 18 2003 23800-23828 29 2004 D40i Cummins ISL 24400-24420 21 2005 D60LF Caterpillar C9 25800-25815 16 D40i Cummins ISL 25400-25411 12 2007 D60LF Caterpillar C9 27800-27811 12 2008 D40LFR Cummins ISL 28100-28111 12 2009 DE60LFA 29700-29714 15 - 2011 XD40 Cummins ISL 11000-11114 2011 XDE40 Cummins ISL 11015-11124 16 The "Double Tall"
Community Transit Alexander Dennis Enviro500Community Transit put a double-decker bus into service on August 1, 2007. An Alexander Dennis Enviro500 manufactured by Alexander Dennis Limited, it will be used on commuter routes between Seattle and various points in Snohomish County during its first year in operation.[11] Community Transit is one of four transit agencies that operate double-decker buses in the United States for non-sightseeing purposes, the others being Unitrans of Davis, California, Citizens Area Transit of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Antelope Valley Transit Authority of Antelope Valley, California.
Community Transit has since then ordered 23 additional buses to reduce congestion within the Snohomish County-Seattle Interstate 5 corridor. The first of these 23 were originally scheduled to arrive in 2010.[12] However, attempts to meet federal "Buy America" requirements caused some delays,[13] so the buses are now being put into service in early 2011.[14]
The double-decker bus' nickname, the "Double Tall", refers to the fact that it has 2 floors, hence it is twice the height of the other buses, as well as the fact that Community Transit reaches into Seattle, hometown of Starbucks Coffee, whose beverage sizes include Double Tall.
Public schools
Community Transit and Edmonds Woodway High School of Edmonds have an arrangement for all students to take the public buses instead of the traditional school buses. Students receive free bus passes at the beginning of the year, and schools buses are only used for athletes and other extracurricular activities.
Fares
(as of June 1, 2010; does not include Sound Transit fares)[15]
Fare Type Adult1 Youth2 Senior3/Disabled4 Local (bus rides within Snohomish County5) $1.75 $1.25 $0.75 Sound Transit One-Zone Fare (bus rides in Snohomish County)8 $3.50 $1.50 $0.75 South Snohomish County Commuter6 $3.50 $2.75 $1.50 North Snohomish County Commuter7 $4.50 $3.75 $1.75 ST Express between Snohomish County and King County (inter-county fare zone)8 $3.00 $2.50 $1.50 DART paratransit $1.75 $1.75 $1.75 - 1Bus riders aged 19–64.
- 2Child bus riders aged 6–18. Children 5 and younger ride free with accompanying adult.
- 3Bus riders aged 65 and over.
- 4Must show a Regional Reduced Fare Permit, available for a one-time fee of $3 and open to senior and disabled bus riders; otherwise passenger must pay at regular rate, depending on age of rider.
- 5Local fares apply on all trips within Snohomish County, even if the trip is in a commuter bus route (400- and 800-series routes). Note that the local fares are not equivalent to Sound Transit's one-zone fare.
- 6All commuter routes (inter-county trips to/from Seattle or Redmond) except routes 421, 422, 424, 425 and 821 (due to distance between Seattle and cities in the routes) and routes 510, 511, 513, 532 and 535 (route structure is a fare zone system, which is different than CT's).
- 7Commuter routes 421, 422, 424, 425 and 821.
- 8Sound Transit Express routes 510, 511, 512, 513, 532 and 535.
External links
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "About Community Transit". 2006. http://www.commtrans.org/index.cfm?mc=commtrans&subcat=2. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ "Contact Us". 2006. http://www.commtrans.org/index.cfm?mc=commtrans&subcat=5. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ Joyce Eleanor (2008). "Message from the CEO". http://www.commtrans.org/index.cfm?mc=commtrans&subcat=4. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ "CEO Says Service Cuts Coming in 2012". 7 April 2011. http://communitytransit.org/News/RiderAlert.cfm?id=1541. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ Community Transit: Route Schedules > Schedules & Maps
- ^ Community Transit: Route Schedules > Schedules & Maps
- ^ "Vanpool Services". 2007. http://www.commtrans.org/index.cfm?mc=vanpoolservices&subcat=1. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "Washington State Transit Association Short Profile". 2007. http://www.watransit.com/member_contacts.htm#Community. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ^ "DART Service". 2007. http://www.commtrans.org/index.cfm?mc=Ridingthebus&subcat=5#dart. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "DE60LFA back end on Flickr - Photo Sharing!". 2009-11-30. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atomictaco/4145754965/. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ "Double Decker Bus". 2007. http://www.commtrans.org/?mc=Newsandevents&subcat=10. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ "Make That 23 Double Talls, Please: Community Transit Orders 23 Additional Double-Decker Buses". http://www.commtrans.org/News/New.cfm?id=1256.
- ^ "Where Are Those Double Talls?". 2011. http://communitytransit.blogspot.com/2011/02/where-are-those-double-talls.html. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ^ "Projects:The Double Tall". Community Transit. http://www.commtrans.org/Projects/DoubleTall.cfm. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ^ "Local Fares Increase June 1". 4 May 2010. http://www.commtrans.org/News/RiderAlert.cfm?id=1237.
Mass transit in the Puget Sound region Local and Express bus - Community Transit list of routes)
- Everett Transit
- Intercity Transit
- Island Transit
- King County Metro (list of routes)
- Kitsap Transit
- Pierce Transit
- Skagit Transit
- Sound Transit (ST Express) (list of routes)
- Trolleybuses in Seattle
Light rail - Link Light Rail (list of stations): Central Link
- University Link
- North Link
- South Link
- East Link
Streetcar - Seattle Streetcar Network: South Lake Union Streetcar
- First Hill Streetcar
- Waterfront Streetcar
- Tacoma: Tacoma Link
- Tacoma Streetcar
Commuter rail Bus rapid transit - Swift
- RapidRide
Ferry - Guemes Island ferry
- Kitsap Transit
- Washington State Ferries
- King County Ferry District: West Seattle Water Taxi
- Port of Kingston Soundrunner
- Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry
Intercity rail Monorail Other Italics denote lines or services which are planned, under construction, or otherwise not operating at the present time.Categories:- Sound Transit
- Transportation in Snohomish County, Washington
- Transportation in Seattle, Washington
- Bus transportation in Washington (state)
- Bus rapid transit in Washington (state)
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