Community Transit

File:CommunityTransit.png
Founded	October 4, 1976
Headquarters	7100 Hardeson Road, Everett, WA
Locale	Puget Sound region
Service area	Snohomish County, Washington
Service type	Bus
Alliance	Sound Transit
Routes	55 SWIFT BRT: 1 Local: 28 Commuter: 16 (not including five Sound Transit ST Express routes CT is contracted)
Stops	2,100+
Stations	2 (Lynnwood Transit Center, Everett Station)
Fleet	269 buses (excluding ST Express buses), 358 vanpool vans
Fuel type	(Buses) Ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel; some diesel-electric hybrids
Operator	Snohomish County, Washington; Commuter routes in conjunction with Sound Transit
Chief executive	Joyce Eleanor
Website	http://www.commtrans.org/

Community Transit is the main public transit authority of Snohomish County, Washington (with the exception of the City of Everett, which operates its own transit service). It operates buses within Snohomish County and to downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, and Seattle's Eastside suburbs in King County.

History

Community Transit service began October 4, 1976. The original member cities were Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Woodway, Marysville, and Snohomish. Monroe and Lake Stevens joined the system in 1977, and two years later they were joined by Stanwood, Granite Falls, Mukilteo, and Sultan. Arlington joined in 1980, and was followed by Gold Bar, Index, and Startup in 1981. Oso and Darrington joined in 1982, Mill Creek joined in 1983. The most recent to join was Bothell, in 1992. The only city in the county that maintains its own transit system is Everett, the county seat (Everett Transit), though Community Transit does run some buses there.

Services

Community Transit currently operates local and commuter bus routes, vanpools, and paratransit services.

Bus service

Refer to the List of Community Transit Bus Routes

Community Transit implemented a major service change and 15 percent service cut in June 2010 to deal with increasing budget problems. The change included a reduction or cancellation of service on many lines and the suspension of all Sunday and Holiday Service. The agency will implement an additional 20 percent service cut on February 20, 2012, which will include major changes to the local route network and reduction of downtown Seattle commuter service.

Local bus routes

As of 2010, Community Transit operates 28 routes in Snohomish County. These routes, covering a service area of 3,367 square kilometers (1,300 sq mi) serve most communities within the county, with the exception of certain smaller communities on U.S. Highway 2 east of Gold Bar.

A Community Transit bus stop in Lynnwood, WA

The vast majority of routes operate from the early morning hours until the evening, with reduced schedules on weekends and holidays. Certain routes, such as routes that travel to Boeing's Everett facility, operate only in a peak direction and/or only at certain times (to Boeing in the morning, away from Boeing in the afternoon), while other routes can have variations depending on the time of day. Usually, but not always, these 'alternate' routes have a distinct route number to help commuters differentiate (e.g., the 200/201/202 route, which takes one of three paths at different times of day). However, some routes, like the 280 route which serves Granite Falls, simply add on extra sections at various times of day without changing the route number. This is usually the case when the additional routing would not otherwise interfere with the normal route.

Commuter bus routes

In addition to local service, Community Transit also operates 31 commuter routes in conjunction with Sound Transit. Most of these routes operate in a peak-flow capacity, taking passengers from various communities to Seattle, Bellevue, or the University District (University of Washington) in the morning hours and bringing them back in the afternoon and evening. A few routes, under the direction of Sound Transit, provide round trip service throughout the day to major destinations in the county, such as Everett or Lynnwood. Most commuter buses serve one of the 20 park and ride lots within the county as well as limited stops within the communities they originate from.

Bus Rapid Transit

Main article: SWIFT Bus Rapid Transit

Community Transit operates a Bus Rapid Transit line called Swift along Highway 99 between Aurora Village Transit Center and Everett Station. Swift opened on November 29, 2009 and operates every 10 to 20 Minutes between 5am and 12am daily.

Vanpool services

Community Transit also provides vanpool service. These allow for more flexibility than traditional fixed-bus routes in that the riders—who also take turns driving the van—decide their own routing, thus allowing non-traditional commuters, including those without access to fixed routes or those whose transport needs are not met by fixed routes, to still utilize transit services. In exchange for a monthly fee that varies depending on mileage and size of van, Community Transit provides the vehicle, maintenance, fuel, insurance, and other miscellaneous needs. With 333 vans as of August 2007, the vanpool service is the third largest in the United States.

Paratransit services

Community Transit also provides paratransit services for those who live within a three-quarters of a mile of a local fixed-bus route. This service, called DART or Dial-A-Ride Transportation, provides those with conditions that prevent normal bus usage to reach their destinations.

Current Bus Fleet

Order Year	Builder	Model	Picture	Engine/Transmission	Fleet Series/(Qty.)
1996	NFI	D30LF		Detroit Diesel Series 40 Allsion B300R	7600-7623 (24)
1997	NFI	D30LF		Detroit Diesel Series 40 Allison B300R	7624-7647 (24)
1998	NFI	D40LF		Detroit Diesel Series 50 Allison B400R	8131-8151 (20)
1998	NFI	D60LF		Detroit Diesel 50 Allison B500R	8838-8854 (17)
1999	NFI	D40LF		Detroit Diesel Series 50 Allison B400R	9152-9171 (20)
2000	NFI	D60LF		Detroit Diesel Series 60 Allison B500R	20855-20872 (18)
2003	NFI	D60LF		Detroit Diesel Series 50 Allison B500R	23800-23828 (29)
2004	NFI	D40i		Cummins ISL Allison B400R	24400-24420 (21)
2005	NFI	D60LF		Caterpillar C9 Allison B500R	25800-25815 (16)
2005	NFI	D40i		Cummins ISL Allison B400R	25400-25411 (12)
2007	NFI	D60LF		Caterpillar C9 Allison B500R	27800-27811 (12)
2011	ADI	Enviro 500		Allison B500R	10800-10822 (23)
2008	NFI	D40LFR		Cummins ISL Allison B400R	28100-28111 12
2009	NFI	DE60LFA		Cummins ISL9 Allison EP-50 HybriDrive	29700-29714 (15)
2011	NFI	XD40		Cummins ISL9 Allison B400R IV	11000-11114 (15)
2011	NFI	XDE40		Cummins ISL9 BAE Systems HybriDrive	11015-11124 (16)

The "Double Tall"

Community Transit Alexander Dennis Enviro500

Community Transit put a double-decker bus into service on August 1, 2007. An Alexander Dennis Enviro500 manufactured by Alexander Dennis Limited, it was used on commuter routes between Seattle and various points in Snohomish County during its first year in operation. Community Transit is one of four transit agencies that operate double-decker buses in the United States for non-sightseeing purposes, the others being Unitrans of Davis, California, Citizens Area Transit of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Antelope Valley Transit Authority of Antelope Valley, California.

Community Transit currently operates 23 of these buses on various Snohomish County-downtown Seattle commuter routes, with the purpose to reduce congestion within the Snohomish County-Seattle Interstate 5 corridor. The first of these 23 were originally scheduled to arrive in 2010. However, attempts to meet federal "Buy America" requirements caused some delays, and the buses were not put into service until 2011.

The double-decker bus' nickname, the "Double Tall", refers to the fact that it has 2 floors, hence it is twice the height of the other buses, as well as the fact that Community Transit reaches into Seattle, hometown of Starbucks Coffee, whose beverage sizes include Double Tall.

Public schools

Community Transit and Edmonds Woodway High School of Edmonds have an arrangement for all students to take the public buses instead of the traditional school buses. Students receive free bus passes at the beginning of the year, and schools buses are only used for athletes and other extracurricular activities.

Fares

(as of June 1, 2010; does not include Sound Transit fares)

Fare Type	Adult1	Youth2	Senior3/Disabled4
Local (bus rides within Snohomish County5)	$1.75	$1.25	$0.75
Sound Transit One-Zone Fare (bus rides in Snohomish County)8	$3.50	$1.50	$0.75
South Snohomish County Commuter6	$3.50	$2.75	$1.50
North Snohomish County Commuter7	$4.50	$3.75	$1.75
ST Express between Snohomish County and King County (inter-county fare zone)8	$3.00	$2.50	$1.50
DART paratransit	$1.75	$1.75	$1.75

• ¹Bus riders aged 19–64.
• ²Child bus riders aged 6–18. Children 5 and younger ride free with accompanying adult.
• ³Bus riders aged 65 and over.
• ⁴Must show a Regional Reduced Fare Permit, available for a one-time fee of $3 and open to senior and disabled bus riders; otherwise passenger must pay at regular rate, depending on age of rider.
• ⁵Local fares apply on all trips within Snohomish County, even if the trip is in a commuter bus route (400- and 800-series routes). Note that the local fares are not equivalent to Sound Transit's one-zone fare.
• ⁶All commuter routes (inter-county trips to/from Seattle or Redmond) except routes 421, 422, 424, 425 and 821 (due to distance between Seattle and cities in the routes) and routes 510, 511, 513, 532 and 535 (route structure is a fare zone system, which is different than CT's).
• ⁷Commuter routes 421, 422, 424, 425 and 821.
• ⁸Sound Transit Express routes 510, 511, 512, 513, 532 and 535.

External links

• Community Transit