Session in Review: How Community Transit Fared with the 2015 Legislature

The historically long (176 days) 2015 Washington State Legislative Session is now best remembered in transit circles for the transportation revenue package passed in early July. That legislation gave Community Transit authority to seek local sales tax funding for increased transit service, which will be decided by voters on November 3.

Here is a recap of legislation affecting Community Transit.

Funding for Community Transit 

16-year New Transportation Revenue Package 
• Local option authority – As discussed above, this granted Community Transit authority to seek up to 0.3 percent sales tax increase for transit. The Community Transit Board approved a ballot measure for the full 0.3 percent to fund more bus trips on all routes, a second Swift line and a list of other improvements. Measure will be on November 3 general election ballot.
• $10 million in flexible spending for second line of Swift. This funding, which is designated to be received in future biennia, can be used for Swift capital infrastructure (buses and stations) or operations.

2015-17 Transportation Budget Regional Mobility Grants 
• Seaway Transit Center, $3 million in 2015-17 and $3.8 million in 2017-19
This transit center, located across the street from Boeing-Everett’s main gate, will serve as the northern terminal for the second Swift line, as well as a hub for all Paine Field area buses, including Community Everett and Metro Transit. Design is underway and project can be completed in 2017.
• Mukilteo Park & Ride, $3.48 million in 2015-17
This commuter park & ride will be located on Bernie Webber Drive on the west side of Paine Field, about a block off the Mukilteo Speedway. It will be primarily used for local residents catching routes to Seattle and UW. This project is awaiting final local matching funds.

Statewide Transit Funding from New Transportation Revenue Package 

Gas tax revenue, the primary revenue source for this legislation, cannot be used for any transit projects. These projects are funded through other sources defined in the legislation. Community Transit may compete for some of these grants, but funding is not guaranteed.

• Special Needs Transportation Grants increased from $25 million per biennium to $60 million
• Rural Mobility Grants increased from $17 million per biennium to $30 million
• Regional Mobility Grants increased from $40 million per biennium to $75.25 million
• Vanpool Grants increased from $6 million per biennium to $9.9 million
• Transit Agency Coordination (HB 1842), $5 million over 16 years
• Transit project earmarks, $111 million over 16 years (includes above $10 million for Swift)

Swift II... and Beyond!

When Community Transit first launched a bus rapid transit line on Highway 99, we had a vision for a network of such routes. The Long Range Transit Plan, approved in 2010 and being updated next year, outlined a series of high-traffic corridors that could eventually have Swift service.

With the great success of Swift, plans are underway for a second Swift line, tentatively called Swift II. Other lines will be considered as individual projects because we simply don’t have the resources to tackle them all at once. In some cases, like Highway 9, the corridors themselves are not ready for such high-volume transit service.

A corridor study was conducted over the past year to sketch out a Swift line that would run between the Boeing-Everett plant and Canyon Park. The study determined this line could start out carrying 3,300 riders a day and complete the 12.5-mile trip in about 40 minutes.

This route was selected in part because:

• Some of the infrastructure already exists (transit lanes and transit signal priority on 128th/Airport Road).

• The Mill Creek portion of the route has robust transit ridership.

• This line would intersect with the existing Swift line at Highway 99 & Airport Road, establishing a network.

Community Transit cannot build this project with existing revenue. Federal grants are needed to buy buses and build the stations. Here are several things the agency must do before Swift II can become a reality:

Preliminary Swift II route

Preliminary Swift II route

• Complete federal requirements for Small Starts capital funding (stations and buses), including an environmental impact analysis.

• Develop plans for a northern terminal near Boeing (dubbed the "Seaway Transit Center").

• Work with the state to develop traffic efficiency improvements across I-5 at 128th Street (already a major congestion point).

• Continue to work with partner cities on infrastructure improvements along route, including transit signal priority.

• Get new funding to pay for Swift II operation (possible new taxes).

Should all of these items fall into place, it is possible that a Swift II line could be operational as early as 2018.

Looking ahead, Community Transit would like to begin planning studies on future Swift lines as this project is underway. Ideally, that could lead to a Swift line opening every few years until the network is built out.

That scenario would rely on the agency getting a successful federal grant for Swift II (giving us the track record and experience in winning these grants), and securing a long-term increase in transit operation funding. Such funding would not be just to build more Swift lines, but to improve transit service throughout the county.

Gov. Inslee Makes Pitch for Snohomish County Transportation Investment

Gov. Jay Inslee was at Lynnwood Transit Center yesterday making the case for new investment in transportation projects. He said that Snohomish County is a key for transportation investment because of Boeing and other manufacturing jobs that rely on roads and transit to move goods and people.

With a backdrop of a Swift bus and speaking to an audience of about 100 people, including many elected officials, business owners and community leaders, Inslee said the state has a role in transportation and he called upon legislators to work with him to get a funding package approved as soon as possible.

Asked if there would be a special session of the Legislature later this year to approve a transportation funding package, Inslee said, "We need to have a package fully baked, and the votes fully identified before calling a special session." Inslee said he did not want
to bring lawmakers together to simply "sit around talking."

Following the speech, about 60 people took a tour of county projects identified in a funding proposal on a Community Transit bus. For its part, Community Transit is seeking funding to add service after several years of cuts. The agency also is studying routing for a new Swift line and is seeking state funding to help that become a reality.

Thanks to Economic Alliance Snohomish County, which sponsored this event, and is leading the effort in Snohomish County to get transportation projects funded.

2013 Bike to Work Day Wrap-up

Last Friday, Community Transit was out at the Lynnwood Transit Center, McCollum Park Park and Ride and Boeing to celebrate Bike to Work Day!  We had 327 bike riders join us for food, coffee and fun!



Thanks to all the bikers that joined us at one of the Community Transit commute stations.



Oxy Gene stopped by the Lynnwood Transit Center commute station to thank

these bike riders for their commitment to cleaner air.

Community Transit and Boeing staffs were out bright and early Friday morning to greet bikers.

A special thanks to our bike mechanics from Bicycle Centres, Harvy’s Bike Shop and

Gregg’s Cycle that were on hand to help riders with minor repairs and maintenance advice!

Thank you to everyone that made Bike to Work Day in Snohomish County a success this year!

State Senate Considers Transit Bill

The Washington Senate Transportation Committee yesterday heard testimony on SB 5773 which would authorize a local motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) to support Community Transit service, if approved by voters. The bill was introduced by Sen. Nick Harper of Everett.

Those testifying in favor of the bill included Joe Marine, Mayor of Mukilteo and chair of the Community Transit Board of Directors, Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor, and representatives from United Way, Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Workforce Development Council, Boeing Machinists Union (IAM), UW and Transportation Choices Coalition.

The bill allows Community Transit to seek up to one percent MVET on car registrations within the service district, which is most of Snohomish County excluding Everett. CEO Joyce Eleanor says such funding could be used to bring back Sunday and late-night bus service, and that any specific service plan would go through a public process with input from riders.

In opposition to the bill, Michael Ennis of the Association of Washington Businesses said the AWB wanted the MVET funding source to remain part of a statewide transportation package, and not “peeled off” to benefit one agency.

SB 5773 is the first of several proposals that could fund Community Transit service. A companion “local option” bill has been introduced in the House, while a separate statewide “roads and transit” transportation funding package was announced yesterday by House Transportation Committee Chair Judy Clibborn.

Reality Check - Changes Coming!

Community Transit staff have been out at park & rides and on board buses reminding riders that a major service change will take place on Feb. 20. Many people are aware of this, and many have gone online or read the Guide to Service Change to see how their travel will be impacted. But there are still quite a few people out there who think these changes are negotiable and may not realize they are going to happen, soon!

To date, we have spoken to more than 1,700 riders about the upcoming service change. We get that number by adding the number of conversations we've had to the number of people on buses that we hop on and make an announcement. In some cases, we may have a five- or 10-minute conversation with someone waiting for their bus; in others there is a 25-second announcement that the changes are coming Feb. 20 and all the details are in the Guide to Service Change and on our website.

Given that we have about 40,000 boardings a day on our buses, that comes down to just south of 20,000 actual daily riders. We hope to speak to maybe 3-4,000 in person before the service change, and those people may talk to others. Through this blog, our electronic alerts (13,000+ subscribers), our website and our Facebook page, we hope the word is getting out to more. And, of course, everyone who rides the bus has a chance to see the materials on board.

But again, not everyone pays attention or realizes the urgency. Even on these pages we see commentors suggesting alternatives to the changes. It's always great to get feedback, but the public comment period for these changes took place last summer; these changes are final.

Maybe that fact will sink in when the printed Bus Plus schedule books arrive on buses later this week.

The changes are not perfect. Service cuts never make people happy. But nearly everyone should be able to still use our service with some adjustments. And we'll be making adjustments later this year. If a connection just is not working out, or trip times need to change, we can do that. For now, we are trying to make people aware that changes are coming, soon.

We'll be out by the Albertson's in Mukilteo, at the Ash Way Park & Ride and the Lynnwood Transit Center this week, and at Mariner Park & Ride, Boeing and Everett Station next week. What question will you be asking?

Local Riders Rely On Community Transit

Community Transit conducts comprehensive surveys of our riders every three to four years. On-board surveys provide valuable information about rider habits and demographics. We use survey data when considering service changes, to apply for grants, to improve rider communications and to plan for the future.

Our 2006 survey was a joint project with Everett Transit. That data proved extremely useful as we planned our Swift system, and also showed some of the differences between Everett and Community Transit systems and riders.

Our 2010 survey used many of the same questions to allow comparison. We also geo-coded all the survey data so we can map where people started and ended their bus trips. The process of analyzing that data for service planning purposes is ongoing.

Boeing Riders Love the Bus

Who rides Community Transit buses and why do they do so? The results of our 2010 On Board Survey begin to answer those questions. We have received a preliminary report on the 8,000 surveys returned last October.  This will be the first of several blogs to discuss some of the results. I’ll break the posts into rider types based on routes.

• Boeing Riders
• Commuter Riders
• University Riders
• Local Riders
•  Swift Riders

First, some background. Community Transit operates four bus routes that serve Boeing: Route 227 from Arlington/Marysville, Route 247 from Stanwood, Route 277 from Monroe and Route 280 from Lake Stevens.  Our Boeing-route passengers are a dedicated lot, based on the survey.

• 55% of Boeing riders have ridden Community Transit for six years or more.
• 31% have ridden for two to five years

Unfortunately, the corollary is also true: Boeing service is not attracting new riders. Only 6% started riding in the past year, compared to 20% new riders in our system overall.

Despite their long-term commitment to public transportation, Boeing bus riders are not a captive audience. Ninety-four percent say they own a car but choose to use transit.  At the same time, Boeing riders are the least likely to drive to the bus of all our commuter riders (Boeing, Seattle or U-District service): 48% walk to their stops, while 38% drive.

Most Boeing riders pay for the bus with an ORCA card. As a company, Boeing subsidizes bus passes and vanpools and has other programs in place to encourage alternative transportation. If you’ve ever tried to get onto Highway 526 at 5:30 a.m. (or if you work at Boeing and try to park there), you’ll know that encouraging transit use is in Boeing’s self-interest.  There’s also the state Commute Trip Reduction Law which requires large employers (and who is larger than Boeing?) to do their part in reducing congestion. 

Because of the varying start times and shift work at Boeing, the increased flexibility of vanpools makes them more popular than buses. There are 88Community Transit  vanpools to Everett Boeing, and many more from other counties around the region. 

But something about Community Transit’s Boeing bus service obviously works for our long-term bus riders – or maybe it’s something about driving to Boeing that doesn’t work . Either way, we have something to learn from them about how to encourage more people to choose public transportation even when they have other options.

Seats Filling Up on Commuter Routes

Although the Great Recession continues to bring bad news to transit agencies around the country, the Community Transit board did get some good news last week: productivity on commuter routes is up.
Productivity is a measure of the number of passengers per hour of service on a given route (boardings per revenue hour, in transit speak). It is impacted by ridership and by the length of a route, both in terms of distance and time.

• Boeing routes have improved from 23 boardings per revenue hour to 26.
• University routes have improved from 25 boardings per hour to 32.
• Seattle routes have improved from 26 boardings per hour to 33.

The improvements in efficiency show that while the service reductions made in June were painful, many of them were strategic, just as we’d intended. Commuter buses no longer make slow-speed loops through neighborhoods to pick up a handful of passengers. Instead, we’ve focused service on park & rides where many commuters board at once.

Seattle routes from north Snohomish County with extra capacity (empty seats) now make stops at Lynnwood Transit Center to fill up. That’s brought Route 421 from Marysville up from 16 boardings an hour to 25.
Boeing ridership overall is down because we cut the earliest trips of the day, but the remaining service is being better utilized at lower cost to Community Transit and our taxpayers. Route 247 from Stanwood has gone from 24 boardings an hour last July and August to 35 this summer.

Local routes that were reconfigured in June have also improved in efficiency, though productivity on local routes overall is down along with ridership. Swift bus rapid transit continues to buck that trend, growing in boardings per revenue hour despite having the most time on the street of any route in our system.

Service to Boeing Important to the Region

By Kristin Kinnamon, Community Transit

The Community Transit Board of Directors approved the final pieces of a painful service reduction plan at its April 1 meeting. A financial report earlier in the meeting underlined the reason for the cuts. Sales tax collections for the first quarter of 2010 are 21 percent lower than they were in 2007, before the recession began.

Part of the plan to save $11 million a year involves shortening Community Transit’s operating day to reduce costs. That has a particular impact on bus service to the Everett’s Boeing plant, the county’s largest employer, no matter the state of the economy or its own boom and bust cycle. Boeing has 27,000 workers in Everett. Neither roads nor factory could accommodate all those people at once, so Boeing has three shifts with staggered start times throughout the day.

Boeing also has a strong transportation incentive program that encourages carpools, vanpool and transit use.

Community Transit buses to Boeing currently leave the bus yard at 3 a.m. to get to Gold Bar and Stanwood to bring workers in for the 5:30 a.m. shift. The board accepted the original staff recommendation to stop serving that early shift, but modified the staff proposal by having buses go out at 4 .m.l rather than 4:30 a.m. This will get riders to work for the 6 a.m. shift, the largest of the morning.

Workers on the earlier shift are encouraged to consider finding fellow bus riders to form a vanpool. Community Transit has 80 current vanpools serving the Everett’s Boeing plant. Vans also come from Island, Skagit, Kitsap, King and Whatcom counties.

Stanwood Mayor Dianne White, who joined the Community Transit board just weeks before the first vote on the service changes, said cutting Boeing service to Stanwood all together was not acceptable. “That’s 200 cars a day on I-5, five days a week,” she said.

The four roundtrips on Route 247 from Stanwood to Boeing averaged 240 boardings a day - roughly 120 people - in 2009.

Board member and Sultan Councilman Steve Slawson fought to retain Boeing service to Gold Bar on Route 277. Slawson is a Community Transit rider himself and argued that the early-morning service is extremely important to the handful of riders who take it, not just to get to Boeing but also to connections with Route 424 to Seattle.

With the operating day starting at 4 a.m. , the first Route 277 trip can get as far as Monroe to serve the 6 a.m. shift start. A second trip on Route 277 will extend to Gold Bar.

“This sends a political message to Boeing - we want you here,” White said after the revised plans were adopted unanimously.

More than just buses; a look at CTR

Many people think of Community Transit as a bus company, but our role in giving the people of Snohomish County transportation options extends far beyond buses.

We work with some of the largest employers in the region to help reduce congestion on our roadways. Each year we honor the businesses and the people who make Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) effective in Snohomish County and Bothell. There are 74 businesses in our jurisdiction with more than 100 employees, representing about 26,000 people. Our shared task, according to state CTR law, is to reduce the number of people who drive alone to the worksite, and to reduce the total number of miles traveled by employees .

Most businesses use the carrot approach: preferred parking for carpools, vanpool and bus pass subsidies, support for Bike to Work and other fun events like the state’s current Wheel Options campaign –share the ride and win!

It’s surprising how just a little support for changing our habits and saving money can make a big difference. According to the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT): “At worksites that have participated in the CTR Program since 1993, the drive-alone rate dropped from 70.9 percent in 1993 to 65.5 percent in 2007. This is a larger drop than for the state as a whole and is also larger than the drop at other worksites in the same areas that have the same access to commute options.”

Cypress Semiconductor in unincorporated Lynnwood was honored as Community Transit’s Employer of the Year for 2009. The company considered ending its free bus pass program, but instead decided to try the new ORCA pass at a bulk rate. Now 10 percent fewer people drive alone to the business park off 164th Street. The ORCA card makes it easier for Cypress to pay for actual transit use while making bus passes available for all employees.

CTR programs don’t just benefit bigger businesses and the employees who participate. WSDOT says: “In the central Puget Sound, the CTR program plays an especially important role. Many of the trips reduced by participants in the CTR program would otherwise have passed through the region's major traffic chokepoints during peak travel periods. The absence of 19,200 vehicle trips every morning reduced peak travel delay by an estimated 18 percent on average mornings in the region.”

Read between the lines. This shows that alternative transportation helps those people who still drive! And it saves dollars! The program saved $35 in wasted time and resources for every $1 the state invested in 2009. For more proof of the value of CTR, see the 2007 state performance audit of the Department of Transportation that calls for more state investment in Commute Trip Reduction.

What do you think the state DOT’s priorities should be in this tight economy?
Building major road projects that create jobs?

Investing in efficient use of our existing infrastructure through programs like CTR and transit?

Keeping the roads and bridges well-maintained and safe?

Revised Service Change Proposals

Community Transit staff presented several proposed modifications to the June 2010 Service Change Proposal to the board of directors yesterday (Feb. 24). The modifications responded to input received from the public and questions from board members since the proposal was first announced in early January.

These modifications are now part of the service and fare change proposal that will go to the board on March 4 for final consideration and expected adoption. In some cases, there are several options for each modification – including a staff recommended option – which the board will discuss on March 4.

The proposed modifications do not cover all proposed changes that people objected to, but based on public comment they represent those that received the most objections.

North county Boeing service

One modification addresses some issues raised by commuters on Boeing Routes 207/227/247. Both Routes 207 and 247 had been proposed for elimination, and Route 227 would have started and ended at Smokey Point.

In response to concerns that there would not be enough parking in Smokey Point, the modification recommends keeping two roundtrips of Route 247 that would start and end at the Stanwood I Park & Ride lot near I-5. These trips would also serve Marysville residents by stopping at the Ash Avenue Park & Ride southbound and the 4th Avenue flyer stop northbound.

In addition, two roundtrips of Route 227 would begin and end at the Arlington Park & Ride, but would travel a more direct route on SR 530 and Smokey Point Blvd. Route 207 is still proposed for elimination.

Route 412 modification

The original proposal would eliminate the Silver Firs loop from this route on all Route 412 trips. The proposed modification would retain the loop on three roundtrips, yet to be determined. This would allow residents of the Silver Firs neighborhood opportunity to still catch this commuter bus without having to drive and park somewhere else.

Route 414 modification

The original proposal would eliminate Route 414 entirely (16 one-way trips). The proposed modification would retain two morning southbound trips, two afternoon northbound trips and two evening northbound trips. Exact times of those trips are yet to be determined. This modification allows Seattle commuters an option to get into Seattle later in the morning, or back from Seattle at non-peak times.

Route 424 modification

The original proposal would have Route 424 bypass the city of Snohomish, beginning and ending service in Monroe. The modification still has Route 424 bypassing Snohomish, but converts an eastbound out-of-service local bus into Route 275 to take people from Snohomish to Monroe in time to connect with the first morning Route 424 trip.

Because these four modifications cost service hours (and thus, dollars), staff has recommonded a fifth modification to save an equal number of service hours.

Route 101 modification

Seven weekday trips of Route 101 are proposed to be eliminated each weekday, providing 30-minute service rather than 20-minute service along Highway 99 for a three-hour period each weekday. The specific hours of this reduced frequency have yet to be determined. Swift service at this time of day remains at every 10 minutes.

Board members agreed to let these proposed modifications become part of the overall service change proposal they will discuss at their March 4 meeting. At that meeting, board members may raise other aspects of the proposal they would like to open for discussion.

The board meets at 3 p.m. March 4 at the Community Transit Board Room, 7100 Hardeson Road, Everett.

Feb. 4 Public Hearing Summary

About 100 people attended the public hearing portion of the Community Transit Board of Directors meeting on Feb. 4 at the Future of Flight museum in Mukilteo.

Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor welcomed the audience and Planning Director Joy Munkers summarized the public comment on the proposed service cuts and fare increase to date. She added that additional comments that come in by the Feb. 8 deadline would be submitted to board members next week.

Acting Board Chair Dave Gossett, who is chair of the Snohomish County Council, set the groundrules for the hearing and got the testimony started. In all, more than 50 people testified about the proposed cuts and fare increase.

Among the testimony…

An ARC of Snohomish County employee said she would not be able to work on Sundays if the suspension of Sunday bus and DART paratransit service were approved. This sentiment was shared by a half dozen other DART riders who said that their ability to get around no Sundays to work, attend church or visit family would be lost under the proposal.

A Bothell resident said that the cuts to Routes 105 and 120 through residential neighborhoods would prevent many people from using transit. She said that while she understood the effects of the recession, she felt that less frequent buses were a better solution than cutting neighborhood service.

A Boeing employee from Snohomish said the cuts to early morning Boeing service would put many tired workers on the road. He also complained about the information given to riders about the service cuts, saying the messages were not very transparent.

Other Boeing workers and representatives also spoke against the plan. Their buses are full and they have done exactly what Community Transit has wanted – getting out of their cars and onto buses – so it didn’t make sense to now cancel their service. A couple of people said they had asked Community Transit for detailed cost breakdowns of the bus service and did not get timely nor useful answers.

A Mill Creek consultant said he has clients whose workers use transit and would be impacted by the cuts. He said the recession has created a tough problem for transit agencies – more demand for service and less revenue. He said Community Transit provides better service than other agencies in the surrounding area.

The Mayor of Snohomish and a city councilman both testified in favor of keeping Route 424 running through that city. They did not think the savings from bypassing the city to start service to Seattle in Monroe penciled out, given that the route would lose riders.

A rider from Arlington spoke against the plan to cut Route 441 to the eastside of King County. She said the buses are full and alternatives add 45 minutes or more. She asked if one trip could be kept in each direction.

Several other people also spoke in favor of keeping Route 441. They said not all passengers are Microsoft employees, so the private shuttle that company runs is not a viable alternative. One person said businesses on the eastside are growing and those employees could be encouraged to live in Snohomish County, where Community Transit taxes are paid, if there was good transit service.

The president and vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union representing Community Transit drivers and other employees spoke against the proposal. They urged the board to consider other alternatives to cutting service, especially Sunday service.

A young resident from Everett said he doesn’t drive and uses the bus for work and all his travels. He urged the board to save Sunday service and cut frequencies, saying he is okay with waiting an hour for a bus.

The presidents of two chambers of commerce thanked Community Transit for their service to the county and commitment to the public input process. The Everett Chamber president said the proposal was a sound business plan.

A church pastor made a plea to save Sunday service, saying that members of his congregation were rallying around a church member who relies on DART to get her to church services. He said he was surprised there was not a greater showing from the faith community to protect bus service on Sundays.

A man said he is not a transit supporter because service is inconsistent, yet his son relies on the bus to get to UW.

Several people said they would pay higher fares or a surcharge to keep their service. One person said adult fares should be raised to $2 each ride, but youth fares should be reduced to $1 so people wouldn’t have to always carry coins.

Several people also mentioned other revenue possibilities. A couple of people discussed a bill making its way through the State Legislature that could possibly provide temporary funding to transit agencies. A member of the Transportation Choices Coalition said his organization is working to support transit service throughout the state. He said the state law that makes transit agencies reliant on the retail sales tax is not a good solution. He urged transit riders to look into ways they could help support more state transit funding.

The public hearing lasted about two and a half hours. Gossett gave instructions to board members to send any changes to the proposal to all board members for consideration, and that the bottom line was that $5 million in savings for 2010 needed to be found. A decision on the service change plan is anticipated at the March 4 board meeting.

After the hearing, at the board meeting, new board officers were chosen. They are:

Chair – Dave Gossett, Snohomish County Council Chair
Vice Chair – Joe Marine, Mayor of Mukilteo
Secretary – Mike Todd, Mayor of Mill Creek

Cutting “My” Bus Route

I work in Communications for Community Transit, but I am also a bus rider. The current service change plan proposes to cut one of the routes I take every week: Route 207.

Change is a theme in transit, as in life. This won’t be the first time a route I ride has been cut. In 2000, after Community Transit lost car tab money from the state, “my” Route 250 between Marysville and Lynnwood was eliminated. I call it “my” route because a lot of us get possessive about our service and take it personally when things change. I also call it “mine” because I was often the only one on the relatively new bus route for its entire length. I saw that cut coming, and as a taxpayer, I couldn’t complain.

With the change, I switched to taking a combination of Routes 210 and 610 to work once or twice a week. It took a lot of travel time, but I did read “Moby Dick” along the way. Then in 2003, Community Transit restructured service in Everett, and the 210 became the 200, 201 and 202.

That 201 between Lynnwood, Everett and Marysville is sort of proof that sometimes a little change or a little time can make all the difference in the success of a route. The service planners who had tried and failed with “my” Route 250 hit a homerun with Route 201, which is now one of our top five ridership routes.

With the public comment period still open (2010changes@commtrans.org) and the board yet to make a decision, we don’t know for sure what Community Transit routes will change this June. But change must happen, to balance our budget and in the long run, to continue to provide Snohomish County with the best transportation options possible.