For forty years, Community Transit has been privileged to serve the communities of Snohomish County. We work hard to make sure our customers have the connections they need to get to the important things in their life. Each weekday we provide nearly 40,000 trips to people who rely on us to connect them with jobs, school, healthcare, and home. That's up to 10 million riders each year!
Community Transit is committed to investing in the transportation demands of Snohomish County, one of the fastest-growing and dynamic counties in the state. Thanks to local support, we have recently expanded service to include two new routes that provide more east-west bus connections, and new service along Highway 9 to create a north-south transit corridor. We've also added new commuter trips to downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. Even our Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART) has expanded to include new service and hours along some routes.
And we're continuing to grow! Plans for our Swift Green Line bus rapid transit are well underway and will connect the Boeing/Paine Field aerospace manufacturing area in Everett with the Canyon Park technology center in Bothell. This corridor intersects with our existing Swift Blue Line and serves high-density housing and nearby concentrated jobs. We hope to begin construction on 34 Swift stations in 2017, with a goal of beginning operations in 2019.
Thank you for trusting us to "Move" you with the service you need.
Transit moves me, with the service I need. from Community Transit on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label DART paratransit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DART paratransit. Show all posts
Monday, October 10, 2016
Friday, August 7, 2015
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)
Here is a recap of legislation affecting Community Transit.
Funding for Community Transit
• 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)
Monday, November 10, 2014
New Sunday/Holiday service proposed for 2015
Community Transit has announced a proposal to bring back Sunday and holiday bus service in June 2015.
The service increase is possible due to increasing sales tax revenue, which makes up about 65 percent of the agency's operating budget. It was a sharp and prolonged reduction in sales tax revenue that led to the service cuts in 2010 and 2012.
In addition to Sunday/holiday service, Community Transit is proposing to add some trips to both commuter and local service on weekdays, and local service on Saturdays, as well as several small routing changes. See details online.
Sunday/holiday service
By next June, it will have been five years since Sunday and holiday service was suspended, a move that was always considered temporary, but the recession proved so dire t
hat it has taken this long for it to return.
The proposed Sunday/holiday service is different than that of 2009. Buses would not be as frequent, hours of operation would be shorter and some routes have changed since back then.
DART paratransit service
In this proposal, DART paratransit service would also return on Sundays and holidays parallel to the 16 fixed routes. By federal law, DART will pick up riders and take them to destinations that are within 3/4-mile of an all-day fixed route bus line. The Sunday/holiday bus suspension meant that DART riders could not get service on those days.
DART riders may also be impacted by the routing changes. There are three areas where regular bus service would be eliminated, in Marysville, Monroe and Sultan. There are also areas of Marysville and Monroe that would see bus service added, so DART riders in those areas should review those route changes carefully.
Public comment
The service proposal is just that, a proposal. Public comment will be taken through January 9, 2015 and every comment made through official channels will be provided to the Board of Directors for review. A public hearing will take place before the board on January 8, 2015, so whether you have submitted a comment or not, any person can take three minutes to state his or her opinion about the proposal at that meeting.
Details on how to submit public comment are available online at www.communitytransit.org/2015changes.
While dialogue is encouraged on this blog and through other social media channels, only the comments provided by letter, email or phone call are considered official. You can also attend any of the four public meetings to ask questions about the proposal, or ask them here.
The service increase is possible due to increasing sales tax revenue, which makes up about 65 percent of the agency's operating budget. It was a sharp and prolonged reduction in sales tax revenue that led to the service cuts in 2010 and 2012.In addition to Sunday/holiday service, Community Transit is proposing to add some trips to both commuter and local service on weekdays, and local service on Saturdays, as well as several small routing changes. See details online.
Sunday/holiday service
By next June, it will have been five years since Sunday and holiday service was suspended, a move that was always considered temporary, but the recession proved so dire t
hat it has taken this long for it to return.
The proposed Sunday/holiday service is different than that of 2009. Buses would not be as frequent, hours of operation would be shorter and some routes have changed since back then.
DART paratransit service
In this proposal, DART paratransit service would also return on Sundays and holidays parallel to the 16 fixed routes. By federal law, DART will pick up riders and take them to destinations that are within 3/4-mile of an all-day fixed route bus line. The Sunday/holiday bus suspension meant that DART riders could not get service on those days.
DART riders may also be impacted by the routing changes. There are three areas where regular bus service would be eliminated, in Marysville, Monroe and Sultan. There are also areas of Marysville and Monroe that would see bus service added, so DART riders in those areas should review those route changes carefully.
Public comment
The service proposal is just that, a proposal. Public comment will be taken through January 9, 2015 and every comment made through official channels will be provided to the Board of Directors for review. A public hearing will take place before the board on January 8, 2015, so whether you have submitted a comment or not, any person can take three minutes to state his or her opinion about the proposal at that meeting.
Details on how to submit public comment are available online at www.communitytransit.org/2015changes.
While dialogue is encouraged on this blog and through other social media channels, only the comments provided by letter, email or phone call are considered official. You can also attend any of the four public meetings to ask questions about the proposal, or ask them here.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Fare Increase Proposed for February 2013
The Community Transit Board of Directors has proposed a fare increase that would take effect on Feb. 1, 2013. The proposal would raise fares by 25 cents on local bus service, 50 cents on south county commuter bus service and 75 cents on north/east county commuter bus service (Routes 421, 422, 424, 425 and 821).
DART paratransit fares would go up 25 cents and vanpool fares would increase 10-15 percent based on the vehicle.
The fare increase is intended to keep revenues in line with inflation; in other words to pay for existing service not new service. Local and DART fares were last increased in June 2010; commuter and vanpool fares were last increased in October 2008.
As a service agency, Community Transit must bring in as much revenue as it spends to operate service. In recent years the agency was spending more than it brought in as sales tax revenues took a nosedive. The result was two major service reductions totaling 37 percent of bus service and 206 employee layoffs.
To help prevent the agency from landing in the same predicament, a Six-Year Transit Development Plan approved in early 2011 called for regular fare increases every two years. This first fare increase was to have been implemented this fall, but CEO Joyce Eleanor chose to push back the proposal to Feb. 2013 to provide some relief to riders who have endured so many cuts.
Still, the fare increases are an important revenue tool to keep the agency afloat. In 2011, fares paid for 18.5 percent of the cost of operating the agency's service. If the proposal is approved, that rate would rise to 21 percent in 2013. In other words, even with the fare increase about 79 percent of the cost of each bus trip (on average - some trips cost more than others) are paid for by sales taxes and other revenue.
Finally, while the agency has no near-term plans to add bus service, there will be 30 commuter trips added in Feb. 2013 thanks to a federal CMAQ (Congestion Management and Air Quality) grant. Even the 20 percent local match for that grant is paid for - by a small new pot of transit money authorized by the state legislature this year.
Here's how you can comment on the fare proposal.
DART paratransit fares would go up 25 cents and vanpool fares would increase 10-15 percent based on the vehicle.
The fare increase is intended to keep revenues in line with inflation; in other words to pay for existing service not new service. Local and DART fares were last increased in June 2010; commuter and vanpool fares were last increased in October 2008.
As a service agency, Community Transit must bring in as much revenue as it spends to operate service. In recent years the agency was spending more than it brought in as sales tax revenues took a nosedive. The result was two major service reductions totaling 37 percent of bus service and 206 employee layoffs.
To help prevent the agency from landing in the same predicament, a Six-Year Transit Development Plan approved in early 2011 called for regular fare increases every two years. This first fare increase was to have been implemented this fall, but CEO Joyce Eleanor chose to push back the proposal to Feb. 2013 to provide some relief to riders who have endured so many cuts.
Still, the fare increases are an important revenue tool to keep the agency afloat. In 2011, fares paid for 18.5 percent of the cost of operating the agency's service. If the proposal is approved, that rate would rise to 21 percent in 2013. In other words, even with the fare increase about 79 percent of the cost of each bus trip (on average - some trips cost more than others) are paid for by sales taxes and other revenue.
Finally, while the agency has no near-term plans to add bus service, there will be 30 commuter trips added in Feb. 2013 thanks to a federal CMAQ (Congestion Management and Air Quality) grant. Even the 20 percent local match for that grant is paid for - by a small new pot of transit money authorized by the state legislature this year.
Here's how you can comment on the fare proposal.
Friday, May 7, 2010
What happens when Sunday bus service goes away?
A central component to Community Transit’s June 2010 service change plan is the suspension of all Sunday and major holiday service. This means no local buses, no Swift and no DART paratransit service beginning June 13.
The idea behind this is that, by shutting operations completely on one day, the agency saves more money and impacts fewer riders than by cutting more routes and trips every day of the week. One way to look at it is that the Sunday/holiday suspension cuts 28,000 hours of service for the year; if the base remained open on these days it would take 48,000 hours of cuts to get the same dollar savings.
While Sundays and holidays have lower ridership than other days, there will still be many people impacted by this move. In particular, people who use the bus or DART to get to church or work on Sundays are going to be impacted more than those who might use the bus for discretionary travel.
To help lessen the impact of the loss of Sunday service, Community Transit is working closely with SNOTRAC, the Snohomish County Transportation Coalition, and Volunteers of America (which runs the county’s 2-1-1 social services hotline) to provide resources for those who need transportation on Sundays.
Community Transit is assisting SNOTRAC with an effort to contact churches in the service area to see if the churches are willing to provide transportation assistance to their members, and possibly people who attend nearby churches. This transportation might be through a church van or a coordinated effort by church members. If many churches can take care of the need for their own members, great; if they can also handle some of the need for other churchgoers, that is even better.
Community Transit also is contacting local employers to let them know of the loss of Sunday service and asking if they will help coordinate transportation for their employees.
VOA will use any information that churches or employers provide to add to their list of Sunday transportation resources. The way the 2-1-1 Hotline works is people who need transportation call 2-1-1, say where they are and where they need to go and VOA tells them if there is an existing transportation option that can help them. In some cases there will be; in other cases there won’t be. The unfortunate thing about the loss of Sunday bus service is that there will be people who either cannot get around or will have to scramble to find a ride themselves. A great resource for these people is Rideshareonline, which allows people to find carpools or vanpools in their area.
Community Transit also is in the process of granting 12 vehicles to local nonprofit agencies through the Van GO program. This program awards surplus agency vehicles, including some with wheelchair lifts, to groups that will use them to provide transportation in the community. This year there is an emphasis on groups that could help provide transportation on Sundays.
We received 34 Van GO applications by the April 30 deadline, and the vehicles will be awarded at the June 3 Community Transit Board of Directors meetings. Van GO winners will be included in the 2-1-1 database.
Finally, for those DART-eligible riders who have no other option, Community Transit is using $50,000 to bolster the “Pay Your Pal” program. This is a program in which a customer finds someone (friend, neighbor, family member) to give them a ride, and SNOTRAC reimburses that driver the federal mileage rate. This way the driver is not simply volunteering, and may have an incentive to provide the ride.
DART-eligible riders who contact the 2-1-1 Hotline will be referred to this service if no other option exists for Sunday transportation. Again, because even “Pay You Pal” depends on a driver willing to provide a ride, it is not a guarantee.
Community Transit is seeking new state and federal funding to restore Sunday service. While the current level of service costs about $5 million a year, the agency would need to be sure there is enough funding to restore service indefinitely before bringing it back. We do not want to restore service based on a one-time grant, then have to cancel service again when the grant runs out. Stay tuned.
The idea behind this is that, by shutting operations completely on one day, the agency saves more money and impacts fewer riders than by cutting more routes and trips every day of the week. One way to look at it is that the Sunday/holiday suspension cuts 28,000 hours of service for the year; if the base remained open on these days it would take 48,000 hours of cuts to get the same dollar savings.
While Sundays and holidays have lower ridership than other days, there will still be many people impacted by this move. In particular, people who use the bus or DART to get to church or work on Sundays are going to be impacted more than those who might use the bus for discretionary travel.
To help lessen the impact of the loss of Sunday service, Community Transit is working closely with SNOTRAC, the Snohomish County Transportation Coalition, and Volunteers of America (which runs the county’s 2-1-1 social services hotline) to provide resources for those who need transportation on Sundays.
Community Transit is assisting SNOTRAC with an effort to contact churches in the service area to see if the churches are willing to provide transportation assistance to their members, and possibly people who attend nearby churches. This transportation might be through a church van or a coordinated effort by church members. If many churches can take care of the need for their own members, great; if they can also handle some of the need for other churchgoers, that is even better.
Community Transit also is contacting local employers to let them know of the loss of Sunday service and asking if they will help coordinate transportation for their employees.
VOA will use any information that churches or employers provide to add to their list of Sunday transportation resources. The way the 2-1-1 Hotline works is people who need transportation call 2-1-1, say where they are and where they need to go and VOA tells them if there is an existing transportation option that can help them. In some cases there will be; in other cases there won’t be. The unfortunate thing about the loss of Sunday bus service is that there will be people who either cannot get around or will have to scramble to find a ride themselves. A great resource for these people is Rideshareonline, which allows people to find carpools or vanpools in their area.
Community Transit also is in the process of granting 12 vehicles to local nonprofit agencies through the Van GO program. This program awards surplus agency vehicles, including some with wheelchair lifts, to groups that will use them to provide transportation in the community. This year there is an emphasis on groups that could help provide transportation on Sundays.
We received 34 Van GO applications by the April 30 deadline, and the vehicles will be awarded at the June 3 Community Transit Board of Directors meetings. Van GO winners will be included in the 2-1-1 database.
Finally, for those DART-eligible riders who have no other option, Community Transit is using $50,000 to bolster the “Pay Your Pal” program. This is a program in which a customer finds someone (friend, neighbor, family member) to give them a ride, and SNOTRAC reimburses that driver the federal mileage rate. This way the driver is not simply volunteering, and may have an incentive to provide the ride.
DART-eligible riders who contact the 2-1-1 Hotline will be referred to this service if no other option exists for Sunday transportation. Again, because even “Pay You Pal” depends on a driver willing to provide a ride, it is not a guarantee.
Community Transit is seeking new state and federal funding to restore Sunday service. While the current level of service costs about $5 million a year, the agency would need to be sure there is enough funding to restore service indefinitely before bringing it back. We do not want to restore service based on a one-time grant, then have to cancel service again when the grant runs out. Stay tuned.
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