Community Transit Listens: 2013 Rider Survey

Starting Tuesday, Oct. 15, Community Transit will be administering a system-wide onboard rider survey on local and commuter buses. We conduct these surveys every three years to collect anonymous demographic information about our riders to meet federal requirements, and to learn how riders use our bus service.

Aside from demographic information, the survey asks about the trip you are currently taking. We want to know, in general terms, where you are coming and where you are going to, as well as how you got to your bus (walk, car, bike, etc) and how you will get to your destination after leaving the bus.

There are also a few questions asking your opinion about the service.

This is the first onboard survey we’ve done since our bus network restructuring in February 2012, so these answers will help us to figure out how rider habits may have changed, and how riders are using the system.

The survey takes about 3-4 minutes to complete. Surveyors will be on local buses (100s and 200s and Swift) Tuesday through Saturday handing out and collecting the surveys. These surveyors are temporary workers and will be wearing appropriate ID.

The survey will also be available on commuter routes to UW and downtown Seattle on Wednesday. On those buses, riders will fill out the surveys and place them in return folders near exit doors when completed. Riders can also take the survey home and send it via mail postage-paid. Riders are encouraged to take the survey each time they ride the bus.

Help us reach our goal of 10,000 completed surveys by the end of the week. Thanks for your participation!

Service Change - Bus Stop Locations

The service change that took place yesterday was in the works for nearly a year. That's the time it took to get guidance from our Board (once we knew how much money we needed to save), develop three alternative scenarios, present them to the public and gather feedback, go through the Board decision process, then fully schedule the final service plan, train drivers, produce signage and information materials and start the new service.

It is near the tail end of that process, after we have fully scheduled the service plan, that we reach out to cities and the county to talk about where we want to locate new bus stops. Each jurisdiction has a separate bureaucracy for dealing with such requests, with their own criteria and timelines.

What we submit are requests based on what we feel is the best place for riders to catch a particular bus. This year, our route shuffling was designed to eliminate loops and deviations - in other words, make the routes as direct as possible to save time and money. Most requests are granted, but not always; sometimes we are given alternatives to consider, and sometimes flatly denied.

Sometimes the process goes beyond the time frame in which we need to produce Bus Plus, maps and other public information.

Just last week, we were granted permission to put two new temporary stops on Marine Drive outside the Warm Beach Senior Community near Stanwood. The timing on that decision was close! We are still awaiting decisions from the City of Lynnwood on stop requests for Routes 112 and 196 near the Lynnwood Transit Center. Obviously, the new service has already started, so the omission of those stops is glaring. We are forwarding comments from our customers to the city, but it is their decision to make. The service still works without those stops, but it may not be as convenient for some customers.

We can add stops at any time during the year, not just at a service change. With the vast number of changes that took place this week, there are bound to be some tweaks here or there. Most tweaking will happen when we publish new schedules on Oct. 1, but if stop requests are granted before then, we could make some changes sooner.

Same Alternatives, New Mix for 2012 Changes

Just as the Hybrid Alternative (see previous post) is a mixture of existing proposals to reduce service, our revised "2012 System Changes" web page provides new ways to view existing information. Both the Hybrid and the web page have some differences compared to the originals which we hope are improvements.

New information now posted on the system change pages includes:

Board Asks for Comment Before Sept. 1 Vote

The Community Transit Board of Directors did not take a vote on a 2012 System Change alternative yesterday, but asked for more time for public review and comment on the hybrid alternative that has recently emerged.

Yesterday's pass sets up a likely vote on Sept. 1 as a decision is needed on a final service plan for staff to do all the work needed to implement the changes in February 2012.

The hybrid alternative came out of board discussions based on the public input about the original three service alternatives.

Potential Board Action on 2012 System Change

One of the action items on the Aug. 4 Community Transit Board of Directors meeting agenda is the February 2012 System Change - the proposed service cuts for next year.

Although this is a scheduled action item, depending on the board discussion there may or may not be a vote.

Over the past two weeks, since a July 21 board workshop on the service alternatives and public comment, a new hybrid alternative has emerged. Details are available on the website, but in a nutshell the hybrid alternative combines the commuter network of Alternative I with the local route network of Alternative III, with some modifications.

Board Continues Consideration of Service Cut Alternatives

The Community Transit Board of Directors met July 21 to discuss the 2012 system change alternatives and go over public comment that was received since June 3.

The board is expected to make a decision on a final plan no later than September 1. Once a decision is made there will be a great deal of work required to implement the changes. New maps and schedules will need to be developed, necessary staffing levels must be determined and a major public education effort will take place before the service change occurs in February 2012.

The July 21 workshop featured several presentations and a lively discussion that did not arrive at any consensus as to what the final service plan will be.

Public Hearing Summary from July 7

About 70 people turned out for the Community Transit Board of Directors public hearing last night on proposed service cuts to take effect in February 2012. A total of 31 people testified.

Seven people testified in favor of bringing back Sunday bus service. They ranged from a single mom who says it’s hard for her to keep or get a job with no reliable transportation on Sundays to DART paratransit customers who have no way to get around those days.

There were five riders commenting on Route 422, which serves Stanwood-Seattle. Each of the five riders testified against Alternative III, which would increase the number of Route 422 trips from three to four but would have the route run only to the Lynnwood Transit Center. From there, riders would transfer to buses running to and from Seattle.

Public Hearing Starts at 5 p.m.

The public hearing before Community Transit's Board of Directors on the three service alternatives for the 2012 system change takes place tomorrow, Thursday July 7 at 5 p.m. The meeting will continue until the last person present has had the opportunity to comment.

That last little phrase has been promoted heavily the past couple weeks on our website and through rider alerts because the 2012 System Change Alternatives brochure that outlined the service options originally said the hearing would run from 5-8:30 p.m. That was the time the room at Mukilteo's Rosehill Community Center was booked, but it has always been the intention of the board to allow everyone present a chance to comment, whether that meant ending earlier or later than 8:30 p.m.

The reason the board meeting is taking place at Rosehill is that last year there were about 100 people who showed up for the hearing on the June 2010 service cuts. Community Transit's board room, where such meetings usually take place, only seats around 40 people. Last year the hearing was held at Boeing's Future of Flight Museum, a location that wasn't easily accessible by bus and was still a little cramped.

Rosehill is just off several bus routes (Routes 113, 190, 417 and 880 as well as Everett Transit Route 18) and is even larger. There is no way of predicting how many people will show up to testify, but this year we have received more than 1,560 online comments compared to the 600 or so total comments received last year.

At the hearing, each person signed up to comment will get three minutes to do so. Board Chair Dave Gossett will run the meeting and will call people by number. Everyone who signs up to comment will get a number and is expected to line up just prior to their turn to speak. There should be three people lined up at the microphone at all times. A roving mic will be available for those who cannot get in line.

Since the board members will focus on hearing the comments, staff will be available outside the hearing room to answer questions, as they did at the five open houses held in June. Even if you have not had a chance to form your opinion about the service alternatives, you can show up, learn all about them, ask some questions then testify before the board.

The formal public comment period runs through Monday, July 11.

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!

Study the Alternatives, Provide Public Input

For the past six months, Community Transit service planners have had the unenviable job of coming up with three alternatives that each achieve three seemingly conflicting goals:

• Cut service by 20 percent
• Maintain geographic coverage throughout Snohomish County
• Preserve ridership

They’ve worked hard and put a lot of careful consideration into the plans we put before the public this week. Now we need the public to do the same.

The alternatives have both subtle and significant differences between them. We need people to provide comments on the big picture - “Give me Sunday service” or “Use the hours on weekdays” – as well as the details – “I like the idea of a new route on 196th Street in Lynnwood, but if it could only ….”

A brochure briefly describing the alternatives is on all Community Transit buses, but to really understand the proposals, you need to dig into the details. Those are presented on our "2012 Changes" web page.

The “Overview” section includes tabs on each alternative with a high-level map and description below. This is a good place to start for the big picture.

The “Local Service” and “Commuter Service” tabs compare the alternatives and allow you to look up the changes by route. If you ride Community Transit regularly, we need you to review this information carefully and provide detailed input.

The “Maps” tab is most important for viewing the major system and routing changes involved in Alternative III. Maps are also linked from Alternative III in the route-by-route charts. Maps are also useful in understanding the limits of the Sunday service proposed in Alternative II.

A key part of the “Process” tab is our “Online Comment Form” as well as a list of public meetings and events.
We want to help you understand these alternatives, and we want your feedback.

To make it most valuable, try something like:

This: “I prefer Alternative II, but I live in Gold Bar and need to get to work in Everett on Saturdays by 9 a.m.”
Not this: “Don’t cut my bus route!”

All formal public comments will be shared with our Board of Directors, who will make the final decision.

Due to lack of funding, we have to reduce service significantly. The question is, how can we make the best of a bad situation?

Your thoughtful comments can help us find the answer.

We encourage discussion about the 2012 System Change alternatives on this blog. However, to have your views considered by the board, please submit formal comments through our online comment form accessed via the web page: http://www.communitytransit.org/2012changes

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.

Bus Plus Survey: Seattle and Real-Time Schedules

At the beginning of November, Community Transit received more than 1,000 responses to our survey about bus route information. This information will be used to help improve our rider materials and the way we communicate with our customers. Many people added additional questions or comments. I responded to some in an earlier post.

Bus stop posters in Seattle: One person asked why we took the schedule information off the bus stop at Terrace & 5th. King County Metro Transit prints and posts our information at stops in King County, and we weren’t aware that several of the Community Transit route schedules no longer appear at that stop. So, thanks for mentioning that (we’re working with Metro to get it fixed). If you ever notice a missing schedule poster or other problem at a bus stop, please notify our Customer Information staff and provide the location and stop ID number (on the pole and schedule).

Another person asked why some of the Seattle stop posters list times from stops several blocks earlier in the trip. Again, we send Metro our schedule information and they post it. Community Transit has a practice of posting the estimated arrival times at stops in between our designated timepoints. But Metro’s practice is to list only the official timepoints on stop posters - the same select stops listed in Bus Plus books and on bus driver schedule instructions. So that’s what you get in downtown Seattle.

You can use the “Find Next Bus” feature of our Trip Planner to find the next four estimated arrival times for any stop in King, Pierce or Snohomish counties. Just be aware that the times are estimates, and buses may arrive early.

Or late. Real-time bus information was the most requested feature in all the survey comments. As someone who experienced an afternoon commute home from Seattle last week (one of the days when we used our electronic alerts to warn “I-5 Accident Causing Delays”), I personally understand the demand for knowing when your bus is actually going to show up. The short answer is “We’re working on it.”

Planning and IT staff just returned from a week-long test of our real-time technology, and many issues remain to be resolved in the coming year.

When we’re done, we will feed real-time data to the public via the Web, mobile devices and by telephone (when you call in a stop number). We will have real-time signs at Ash Way Park & Ride, Lynnwood Transit Center, Mountlake Terrace Transit Center and at every Swift Station. Another part of the project is electronic signs on board every bus that will list the next stop as the bus approaches, and audio call-outs of stop names and important landmarks.

In the meantime, the information we have to convey to customers can be limited. Riders often know a bus is late before we do, and our Customer Information and Communications staff often won’t know precisely why or when it will arrive. We are committed to communicating with riders when there are system-wide delays or major reroutes. We also put in special effort when winter weather impacts our service – and I don’t mean rain!

Bus Plus Survey: The Good News

Community Transit has a robust list of bus riders and others who subscribe to our electronic alerts system. A week ago Wednesday we sent an email to 5,000 bus route subscribers asking them to take a survey on our schedule and route information. Many thanks to the more than 1,000 people who took the survey. I will try to respond to some of the comments and questions about bus information in a series of posts here.

The comments about route connections and schedule timing will go to our Planning Department, though anyone who asked for additional service might do well to read about our budget challenges. For those concerned about crowded buses, please read my blog post – and contact riders@commtrans.org if it’s a recurring problem. We are looking forward to putting our Double Tall buses into service next year, since they have more seats than articulated buses, thus increasing passenger capacity without increasing operating costs.

This post is going to focus on the good news – things people asked for that we already provide in some way.

List all bus stops: Community Transit buses serve about 1,800 stops in Snohomish and King counties. We list every bus stop by route on our website, and it’s among our most popular pages. We show all the stops in order in one direction, then the other. There’s a link to this page from each individual route schedule on the website as well. From the stop list you can pull up the actual schedule poster that is posted at that stop (provided it is a Community Transit stop vs. King County or Everett). That is a very cool feature if you use the same stop every day and want to know the estimated departures of all the buses that stop there.

When we upgraded our Bus Plus maps a few years ago we considered whether we could show every bus stop on the route maps. We realized that the maps just weren’t detailed enough, and the stops too many, to show effectively. We do have detail maps in Bus Plus (and on the web) of downtown Seattle, University of Washington and the Everett Boeing plant where we show all stops.

Individual Schedules: Rather than print these ourselves, we make a PDF of every route schedule and map available on our website. Just go to the "Schedules" page and sort by route, or go to an individual route’s schedule page. Printing individual schedules for our buses or outlets would require an entirely new display and distribution system for Community Transit. Our buses operate on a variety of routes each day, so it would be hard to have the right schedule on the right bus. Plus, we know that many people use multiple routes and appreciate having our comprehensive book.

A final note: We are very aware that we conducted this survey primarily online, though we did also get more than 130 paper surveys completed in-person by local bus riders this past week. We are NOT considering the end of printing Bus Plus – even our online audience uses Bus Plus at least as often as our website. Both sources are important to different customers, at different times and for different types of information.

On Sitting, Standing and Sharing

After my post on improved commuter route productivity – due to fewer buses (and seats) to Seattle and more efficient routing – we received a question about crowded buses at Lynnwood Transit Center around 7 in the morning. Some 40-foot buses are packed, while some larger buses leaving at different times seem only partly full.

Articulated buses are assigned to the trips that have the most passengers most often. That may be hard to judge from the curb – and can be a close call for transit planners as well. A Community Transit planner – who helps identify what size of bus gets assigned to what trip – explains how a similar number of passengers can look very different:

“The seating capacity of a 40-foot bus is roughly 39 people and the seating capacity of a 60-foot articulated bus is 65 people. That means a standing room only load on a 40-footer would only be 60 percent full on an articulated bus. To some observers, a 60 percent full bus could look like a bus that is only half full.”

Community Transit staff did analyze seating capacity and ridership prior to our June service changes, and our goal is for all passengers to have a seat, especially on longer trips (Lynnwood is a comparatively shorter run). As one of the commenters noted, many people take different trips on different days, so ridership has peaks and valleys. That can result in crowded trips at times.

On paper we now have 40 percent more seats than riders at Lynnwood Transit Center, on average. We constantly monitor ridership and can adjust bus assignments. But usually, assigning an artic to a new trip means taking it off another run, so we don’t do that lightly.

This is a tight economy and we don’t have money for excess. That means commuters used to spreading out may need to share a seat – and even stand on rare occasions. If your bus is regularly overcrowded, please let us know.

Getting the word out about service change

We’re just three weeks away from one of the biggest service changes in Community Transit history.

Actually, in 2000 the agency cut 23 percent of its service after the state withdrew all its car tab funding for transit agencies. Over the next few years, once voters approved a sales tax increase to support Community Transit, service was brought back and reconfigured, leading to four consecutive years of record ridership from 2005-2008.

On June 13, there will be no Community Transit service, the first Sunday of our “Sunday and major holiday” service suspension.

On June 14, nearly every Community Transit route will see some trips eliminated, sections of the route cut, or both. Eight routes will be eliminated entirely, including Route 441 from Lynnwood to Redmond, our only service to the Eastside.

Since the Board of Directors approved the service change in March, then revised it slightly in April, details of each route change have been posted on Community Transit’s website.

Earlier this month, post-June 13 route schedules and route maps were added, the first time we’ve ever put that information online before Bus Plus schedule books were published. We put that information online as soon as the Bus Plus book went to the printer, and that’s something we’ll likely do in future service changes.

Beginning May 2, Community Transit staff have been riding buses, standing at park & ride lots and transit centers and talking to bus riders about the service change.

We’ve directed people to the website as the best source for updated information, and once Bus Plus books are available in early June we’ll use that as a tool to help riders find the information they need to plan their trips for after June 13.

As we talk to riders, we’re learning several things:

• Many riders are aware of the service change, even if they disagree with it.
• Many riders have gone online and figured out how they will get around once service changes.
• A good portion of riders have heard something, but have not looked into the details enough to see if their route or trip is affected. We’ve helped some of these people get that information, if they have time, but as riders are often in a hurry they often say they’ll look into it later.
• A good number of people remain unaware that service is being cut.

Our goal in this education effort is to make people aware of the changes coming and give them the tools to rearrange their trips, if needed. Above all, we want to reduce the number of people who are confused when June 13 and 14 come around, even though we know there will be some confusion.

Between now and then we will continue to meet riders where they gather, on buses and at transit facilities and bus stops. And we’ll push our education through our website, our electronic alert system, this blog, Facebook and other communication avenues.

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

Have you been or will you be heard?

Community Transit has received hundreds of formal comments on our 2010 Service & Fare Changes Proposal. Staff have photocopied and forwarded all comments to our board members (as a DVD, not paper), and a summary is now posted on our website.

It's important to realize that with such a volume of comments and questions, it is not possible during this input process to respond to every request for additional information. However, we have been updating the "frequently asked questions" on our website. We have also posted some of the materials prepared for today's hearing that answer "What are the alternatives?" (pdf) and "What are the staffing impacts?" (pdf)

If you are attending today's hearing at the Future of Flight, here's what to expect:

• The hearing is first on the agenda. If you want to speak, please "take a number" (literally - this will help things flow)
• To give everyone a chance to speak, you'll be limited to 3 minutes
• If you have a question you want answered, see staff who will be set up outside the hearing room. The hearing itself is for board members to listen, not respond to public comment
• Information displays will be set up outside the hearing room. Staff will be available there to answer questions and discuss the proposals
• If you don't have time to wait for your chance to speak, you can have your comment videotaped for the board. The video station will be set up outside the hearing room

The public input process remains open through Feb. 8. Please submit formal comments to: 2010changes@commtrans.org

Public Hearing Location Change

The Community Transit Board of Directors Public Hearing on proposed service and fare changes has been moved to a new location. The hearing will take place at 3 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Future of Flight, 8415 Paine Field Blvd., Mukilteo.

The regular Board of Directors meeting will take place at that same time and location. The public hearing will be the first item on the agenda.

People who are transit-dependent can call (425) 353-7433 or (800) 562-1375 for assistance with transportation options.

This change is being done to accommodate those wishing to testify before the board in a facility of adequate size.

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.