"Can You Bag My ORCA Card?"

This spring local retail stores began selling ORCA cards. Since ORCA started in 2009, retailers have been able to load fare value on existing cards, but this is the first time they started selling cards.

That was a huge step for the ORCA program as it quadrupled the number of locations where you could buy an ORCA card if you didn’t already have one.

People who qualify for reduced fare, such as seniors, disabled or youth, still must buy their ORCA card in person at a transit agency customer service center because proof of eligibility is required. But the vast majority of transit riders use the standard “adult” ORCA card and that can now be bought at Safeways, QFCs, Roger’s MarketPlace and other convenient locations.

When you visit one of these retailers, there is often an ORCA sign, usually at the Customer Service desk. A new ORCA card costs $5, plus the cost of a monthly pass or whatever E-purse fare you want to put on the card. The hope is that expanding the locations where you can buy an ORCA card will encourage more people to use transit.

At community fairs this summer, we've been asked a lot of questions about ORCA, and many people don't know how convenient it is for paying fares. Now we can point down the street and say, "You can get one there!"

Where did you get your first ORCA card?

We'd Like Your Answers to Four Questions About Service

Help us understand our service priorities by taking our short online survey!

Community Transit is not cutting service, but we will be adding service hours with some system fixes this fall. To best meet the needs of the communities we serve, we need to get in front of (and talk to) our customers—  this is where our outreach comes into play.

This summer, in addition to our traditional appearances at community events where we can talk one-on-one with folks, we are also taking advantage of online surveys and polls to engage with riders and non-riders alike. This combination of outreach tactics help to get feedback from a larger pool of the population who care about Community Transit and what we do.

On July 1, we started posting polls on the Community Transit Facebook page, keeping the questions light, but related to

riding the bus, such as “Would you ride the bus on holidays?” So far, our most active poll to date asked, “Which do you consider the worst bus behavior?

Last week, we posted a Service Priorities Survey on our website. We are asking the same questions to visitors who come by our booth at various community events this summer. Would you take a few minutes to share your input to help us understand priorities for service? Each person who completes the survey (including their name and email address) will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a $50 ORCA card.

We Are Not Cutting Service (Despite No State Transportation Package)

Community Transit has no plans to cut service. Despite the failure of the Washington State Legislature to pass a transportation funding package, Snohomish County’s transit provider will not cut service.

The question keeps coming up, so I want to repeat, no matter what other local transit agencies may or may not be doing, Community Transit is not going to cut service.

That said, the statewide transportation funding package was an important key to our county’s future. The package contained some direct funding for transit, funding for several capital transit projects and a local option that would have allowed Community Transit to make its case for an increase in local transit funding. There were also some major roads projects in that package that could have also benefited transit.

For Community Transit, the local option was the centerpiece of this package. While initially introduced as a motor vehicle excise tax, then changed to an additional sales tax, this local option could have provided the level of funding needed to erase the service cuts made in 2010 and 2012.

The local option was not guaranteed funding, it was authorization to place a ballot measure before our voters to ask their support. From that perspective, we were only asking the Legislature to let us do the heavy lifting because passing a tax measure is no easy feat. But with the death of the statewide package, we do not even get to ask the question.

Community Transit gets the majority of its funding through a state-authorized 0.9 percent sales tax in our service district, which is most of Snohomish County with the exception of Everett and some sparsely populated areas. So, 9 cents of every $10 taxable purchase (groceries are exempt from sales tax) in our service area helps to pay for transit service. The local option in the recent legislation would have given authorization to seek up to 0.3 percent additional sales tax, or another 3 cents on a $10 purchase.

Because Community Transit took action during the recession both to raise its fares and reduce expenses, including a 37 percent cut in bus service and laying off one-third of its employees, the agency is in a financial position now where it is preparing to grow again. Remember that slogan "Promising tomorrow with responsibility today?"

Community Transit envisions no more cuts in the foreseeable future. Some additional service hours to help with bus connections and other “fixes” to our system for the next year or two, and maybe more after that. But with additional funding there could be much more growth.

Maybe next year...

People Choosing Smarter Travel Options with Curb the Congestion

Curb the Congestion is better than ever with the addition of two new corridors and a new incentive!

Since 2008, Community Transit and Snohomish County have partnered to offer Curb the Congestion, a program that reduces traffic congestion, parking demand and greenhouse gases on local roadways. The program offers resources and rewards to residents and employees who use smart travel options such as bus, carpooling, vanpooling, biking or walking.  We have seen pretty dramatic results over the years with over 2,750 participants removing:

·         Over 250,000 trips from local congested roadways

·         4.6  million pounds of CO2 from our air

·          5.3 million miles of driving alone

This year the program expanded to provide resources and rewards to people traveling on these four congested Snohomish County roadways:

• 128th Street (between Everett and Mill Creek)
• 164th Street SW/SE (between Lynnwood and Mill Creek)
• NEW 196th Street (between Edmonds and I-5)
• NEW Bothell-Everett Highway (between 128th Street and downtown Bothell)

Choose a smarter trip on one of these corridors at least 8 days a month and you could win the following incentives. 

·     Monthly Rewards: Receive $50 a month for three months!

• Continue to log smarter trips to qualify for a $150 drawing each month and earn a coupon for a discount or free item at a local business through our NEW Preferred Partner Reward program.
• Recruiter Rewards: Earn up to $100 a year when you refer friends, neighbors or co-workers.

For more information on the program or assistance with your travel options, contact our Curb the Congestion Outreach Specialist at (425) 438-6136 or CurbIt@commtrans.org.

 

Athena’s story is a great example of how the Curb the Congestion program works!

Athena Parker of Mill Creek first learned about Curb the Congestion when she read a brochure.  She went home and signed up.  

Athena says, “It was nice that I could win but I really started putting in my hours to show that people do use the buses every day and that bus service is a valued thing.”

“When I ride I save myself the stress of driving and I give myself some more time to work. Since I'm a college student, anything that I can do to make my time easier and stress free is awesome. Riding the bus also saves me the cost of buying a parking permit each quarter and gas for my old car. And that saves me around $180 dollars a quarter.”

Dump the Pump – Save a Fortune, Share the Ride

This Thursday, June 20, is the 8^th Annual National Dump the Pump Day sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.   Community Transit will be joining transit agencies from across the country to encourage people to leave their cars at home for the day and instead share the ride to work, school or just for fun! 

 

By riding the bus, vanpooling, carpooling, biking or walking instead of driving alone even a few days a week, drivers can save money, relieve stress and help the environment.

·         A two-person household can save more than $9,700 a year by downsizing to one car.

·         Every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns.

·         Public transportation use in the United States saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.

·         Using alternatives to driving alone has saved Washington commuters almost 8.3 million gallons of gasoline annually with a fuel savings of nearly $32 million.

·         Using an alternative to driving alone just one day per week can reduce your commute costs by 20%.

If you are unsure of what smart transportation options work best for you, visit Community Transit’s website and check out all the great tools we have to make sharing the ride simple.

Trip Planner:  Plan your trip by bus or train in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.

Driving Cost Calculator: See how much money you could save by sharing the ride.

How to Ride:  Know before you go! Find out everything you need to know about riding a Community Transit bus.

Also, Community Transit (and everyone’s favorite superhero Oxy Gene) will be joining other regional transit agencies at Westlake Center in Seattle this Thursday from 11:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. to celebrate Dump the Pump.  Stop by for prizes, treats and more information on how you can save a fortune by sharing the ride!

Oxy Gene: Two local schools STEP up for Community Transit Coloring Contest

Hello Good People!

Oxy Gene here, defender of truth, justice, and really clean air! I hope you’re all having a fabulous spring, and guess what…..summer is just about here(my favorite time of year to fly the gorgeous skies of Puget Sound!).  I’ve had a terrific year travelling across Snohomish County sharing information about Community Transit.

As you know, my good friend Steve Peters, runs a very entertaining School Transit Education Program (STEP), where he travels to schools within Snohomish County telling kids how much fun it is to ride their local transit system.  The program talks about safety, how to read a route number and how important Community Transit is for reducing traffic snarls in the community. Steve visits nearly 10,000 kids per year!



In fact, just recently I helped Steve choose two schools to participate in a poster coloring contest, Quil Ceda/Tulalip Elementary in Marysville and St. Mary Magdalen in Everett.  First and third graders were given blank sheets of paper and asked to show their creativity.  Using as many colors as possible and including a Community Transit bus, the kids used their imaginations to show how they can help yours truly be their own clean air superhero.



Quil Ceda/Tulalip Elementary First Grade Winners



St. Mary Magdalen First Grade Winners

St. Mary Magdalen Third Grade Winners

The pictures were amazing! Many kids also showed where they’d like to travel on a bus. Winners from each grade level were chosen and each school held an ice cream party this week to award the winners. Even superheroes can’t pass up ice cream! Their drawings will be posted on the interiors of our buses for all to see. An awesome job by all!!



Once the school year is done, well that’s where I give Steve a break and I, Oxy Gene.., “Clean Air Defender”, take to the skies and do my part to pulverize pollution.  You’ll see me in parades, at fairs, and other public events throughout the summer.

Remember…there’s only one thing that all of us share; it nourishes, refreshes, please love it…..IT’S AIR!

Snohomish County Transit Priorities

The Washington State Legislature is in its final week of a special session with no agreement yet on a possible transportation funding package. If there is no general budget agreement, there may be a second special session.

After cutting service 37 percent the past three years, Community Transit has no plans for further service cuts. Economic activity in Snohomish County is rebounding and the agency is looking ahead to when it can begin to add service. At stake in Olympia is whether the pace of service growth will be slow or quick.

Recently, Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor spoke with several local audiences about the prospect of service growth, as well as other transit issues.

As the agency embarks on a summer filled with community events, staff will be asking area residents their opinions on transit priorities. What are your priorities for service growth?

Listen to Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor and Everett Transit Director Tom Hingson discuss The Future of Transit in Snohomish County on KSER Radio (90.3 FM), recorded May 24, 2013.

KSER Interview (mp3)



Watch Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor speak to the Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation at Everett Station, recorded May 21, 2013.