Don't Expect Others to Comment for You

More than 1,250 people have completed our Online Comment Form to provide input on our three system change alternatives and almost 100 people have attended a 2012 System Change Open House. This high level of participation shows that riders have been engaged during this process.

But even with that much engagement, we have not inspired everyone to comment.

Of course, if you used to be a Sunday bus rider or the existing public transportation system doesn’t work for you, you might not be aware of this process. That is why we've worked with the media to get the word out (there has been coverage on TV and in local newspapers).

We held five community open house meetings for those who might not have easy Internet access and might not have been able to review the alternatives online.

Some people might still be unaware or might think it’s just not worth it.

But we want to hear from everyone, from people who have a car but choose to ride the bus to those who don’t have a car or can’t drive. We want to hear from local bus riders and commuter bus riders, because everyone will be impacted by these changes and nobody else is going to speak for you.

One rumor we have heard is that because we're considering some Sunday service, we are definitely going to bring it back.

That is not true. While we have said we would restore Sunday service as soon as new funding became available, there is no new funding. In fact, there is less funding. So, Sunday service is not a given, just an option. If Sunday service matters to you, you need to tell us that.

There are are also many impacts to local routes, from reduced bus frequencies to routing changes to complete elimination of some routes.

And commuter service to Seattle will see some big changes in either frequency reductions or a restructure of how that service is provided.

There’s still time to read up on the alternatives, remind people on your bus to comment and tell a friend or neighbor who uses transit occasionally to pay attention. Our final open house is tonight in Arlington, but the comment period continues through July 11. The public hearing before the board of directors is 5 p.m. July 7 at Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo. That hearing will run until the last person present has had the chance to speak.

Don't wait, comment now!

Open Houses Begin Tonight

The first of the community open house meetings to discuss the 2012 System Change alternatives begins tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mountlake Terrace Library.

Riders and members of the public are invited to stop in at any time to talk to staff about the three proposals for a 20 percent service cut. If you haven't already checked out the 2010 system change page on our website, please do so you can come equipped with your questions.

CEO Joyce Eleanor had a column in Sunday's Herald talking about the necessity for these cuts and how the agency must prepare to transform for the future, given the new economic reality. If the agency is left to rely on sales taxes and fares for its revenue it could be a long time before any growth occurs. The agency continues to work with state legislators and federal officials to find new streams of funding for Community Transit and transit in general.

Following tonight's meeting there will be a daytime open house at Edmonds Community College from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday.

We hope to see many of you there.

Tough Year Had Some Bright Spots

By Tom Pearce

Community Transit Public Information Specialist

Last year was a busy one for Community Transit, with a major service change and a fare change, the rapid growth of Swift bus rapid transit service and the start of the “Buy Local for Transit” campaign.

The service change that took place in June dominated the first half of the year, as Community Transit hosted public meetings around the service district. These meetings drew standing-room only crowds as riders came to learn about the proposed changes and voice their concerns. The Board of Directors hosted a lengthy public hearing in February, then in March reluctantly approved the suspension of Sunday service and other cuts. Final adjustments to the proposal were made in April, then it was time to implement the plan.

Community Transit conducted a massive public outreach in May and June to explain the changes to the public. Dozens of our employees were out riding buses or meeting passengers at park & ride lots in the six weeks prior to the changes. The education efforts appeared to be successful, as by the time the change was implemented on June 13, almost all passengers were aware of the changes.

The June fare change, which increased all fares by 25 cents, also was implemented smoothly and has helped balance the budget.

Swift had a big year, as ridership increased steadily as the months passed. By the end of November – which marked the completion of one year of Swift service – ridership had increased from about 1,500 boardings on the first day to 3,500 per day. The average daily boardings after one year were 40 percent higher than estimates.

Swift was recognized as one of the region’s best projects with a Vision 2040 Award, designed to recognize outstanding work that helps our region grow wisely and improves the quality of life in all of the region’s communities. Swift won numerous national transit and advertising industry awards as well.

Community Transit’s staff also collected awards and honors throughout the year. The team of Howard Evans, Steve Hanks and Joe Hulett paid their own way to Cleveland to participate in the 2010 International Bus Maintenance Roadeo, and finished third out of 25 teams. In 2009, the trio won the championship.

Another the highlight of the year was the number of long-time safe drivers Community Transit recognized.  Three coach operators became Two Million Mile Drivers: Betty Burns, Carl Huth Jr. and Merlin Yost. To earn that recognition, each had to meet the National Safety Council’s standard of 25 years without a preventable accident. Community Transit also honored 11 coach operators as Million Mile Drivers, for 12½ years without a preventable accident: Tim Caldwell, Mary Davis, Michael Felt, Reza Ghandari, Cris Healy, Solomon Habte, Amjad Khalil, Mike Majors, David Rix, Dorothy Saarinen and Diane Sassé.

Community Transit capped the year by rolling out its “Buy Local for Transit” campaign. This long-term effort is designed to encourage people to shop in our communities, strengthening local businesses and increasing local tax revenues, which supports public  transportation. Community Transit is funded primarily through a portion of retail sales taxes generated in its service district, which includes most of Snohomish County.

With 2010 in the books, Community Transit now turns its attention to the future. This year our agency will be busy planning for a sustainable level of service based on the new economic realities. Your involvement will be critical to that process. Keep reading this blog for more information.

Public Process FAQs

Community Transit hosted five public meetings on our service change proposal this month. Attendance grew to 101 at the final meeting last night, with about 340 people overall. Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor facilitated each meeting and answered questions. We’ve compiled a running list of answers in our Proposed Service Change FAQs (and we are continuing to update this list).


Service Planning staff were also at each meeting, and they are compiling the more than 500 written comments we’ve received so far, as well as a petition and video comments. All those comments will be made available to the board before the public hearing next week.


The public comment period remains open through Feb. 8. Send comments to 2010changes@commtrans.org (blog posts are good disucssion, but not part of the official record).


After the hearing on Feb. 4, the board of directors may direct staff to make changes to the proposal. Then the board is expected to vote on a final service plan at their March 4 meeting. Approved service changes would take effect June 13.

Proposed Service Changes -- Let's Chat!

Welcome to the Community Transit Blog!

On this site we plan to provide information about Snohomish County’s public transportation agency and let you drive the conversation. Not only are your comments welcome, but without them this blog won’t work.

About three weeks ago, Community Transit announced a proposal to cut service in June, and also to raise local bus and DART paratransit fares 25 cents. If you’ve been to any of the community meetings on this topic, you know there’s been a fair amount of community discussion around the proposal.

You can see the details on the agency’s website, but the gist of the proposal is:
· Suspension of all Sunday service, including DART and Swift
· Shortening of the work day by two hours, so buses start service at 5 a.m. and end at about 1 a.m.
· Elimination of 12 routes, most of which will be consolidated into other routes
· Truncation of many routes to eliminate loops and deviations, as well as loss of some trips

As with any service cut proposal, riders want to preserve their ride. That’s completely understandable. The idea behind this plan was to keep the bulk of frequency during the week when there are more riders. This doesn’t help early morning and Sunday riders, but from a macro perspective, there is less impact from this plan than from a plan that reduces service all week long.

There are a couple videos on YouTube (Part 1 and Part 2) that explain the agency’s economic situation and outline the service proposal.

So, tell us what you think!

This blog is for conversation on this topic. If you'd like to submit an official comment for Community Transit's Board of Directors to consider, please send your comments to 2010servicechanges@commtrans.org.