Editing Community Transit (section)

== Services ==

Community Transit operates fixed [[bus route]]s throughout a {{convert|1308|sqmi|sqkm|adj=mid}} [[public transportation benefit area]] (PTBA) within portions of [[Snohomish County, Washington|Snohomish County]]. Its services cover 78.5 percent of the PTBA's 663,000 people<ref name="TDP2024"/> and 76 percent of its 254,000 jobs.<ref name="TDP" />{{rp|43–44}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Kemp |first=Rob |date=September 20, 2024 |title=2024 Public Transportation Benefit Area Population Estimates |url=https://ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/dataresearch/pop/special/ptba.pdf |publisher=Washington State Office of Financial Management |access-date=March 4, 2025}}</ref> The agency's 33 bus routes serve 1,664 bus stops, of which 259 have a bus shelter—the rest consist of a standalone sign or a sign with a bench.<ref name="TDP2024"/> The bus routes are divided into three types of service, numbered according to destination: frequent [[bus rapid transit]] on the unnumbered [[Swift Bus Rapid Transit|Swift]],<ref name="Swift">{{cite web|title=Swift bus rapid transit |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/Swift/ |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903133836/http://www.communitytransit.org/Swift/ |archive-date=September 3, 2014 }}</ref> local routes in the 100s for southern Snohomish County and 200s for northern and eastern Snohomish County, and 900s for most express routes.<ref name="TransitChanges"/> CT and their [[subcontractor]] [[First Transit]] also operate all-day, all-week [[Sound Transit Express]] service to Seattle and [[Bellevue, Washington|Bellevue]] on six routes numbered in the 500s.<ref>{{cite book |date=March 19, 2016 |title=Ride the Wave Transit Guide |url=http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/RTW_March2016.pdf |pages=41–54, 60–65 |edition=March–September 2016 |publisher=Sound Transit |access-date=May 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327221909/http://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/RTW_March2016.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Typically, service changes occur in March and September, in response to ridership and requests from the community.<ref name="Herald-Cuts2022"/><ref>{{cite press release|date=February 3, 2005 |title=Community Transit Increases Local Service |url=http://communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1081 |location=Everett, Washington |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006171509/http://communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1081 |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref>

[[File:Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.JPG|thumb|left|alt=A parking garage and bus shelter|The bus shelters and parking garage at [[Mountlake Terrace station]], served by several local routes and commuter routes on nearby [[Interstate 5 in Washington|Interstate 5]].]]

Buses serve 22 [[park and ride]]s and [[transit center]]s located throughout Snohomish County with a combined capacity of 7,457 vehicles and 175 vehicles.<ref name="TDP2024"/> The largest facilities, primarily located in southwest Snohomish County, include weatherproof [[bicycle locker]]s in addition to automobile parking.<ref name="Bikes">{{cite web |title=Bikes and Buses |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/busservice/bikes/ |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> The majority of park and rides are owned by the [[Washington State Department of Transportation]] and maintained by Community Transit and other service providers.<ref name="TDP" />{{rp|22–24}}<ref>{{cite web |editor-last=Elridge |editor-first=Mark |date=Fall 2013 |title=Puget Sound Park and Ride Inventory |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/7F57E292-9768-4E9E-AE8B-F95268966C21/0/PugetSoundParknRide_Fall2013.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=September 5, 2014}}</ref> Until 2024, these park and ride lots were primarily used by peak-only commuter bus routes to Boeing in Everett, Downtown Seattle, and Northgate station.<ref name="TDP" />{{rp|19–20}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Transit Centers & Parking |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/parking/ |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 5, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925033831/http://www.communitytransit.org/parking/ |archive-date=September 25, 2014 }}</ref>

In addition to bus service, CT operates a [[vanpool]] program with a fleet of 366 vans originating from the Kasch Park operating base in [[Everett, Washington|Everett]]. The fleet comes in configurations with 7, 12, or 15 seats, with two special vans equipped with [[wheelchair lift]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vanpool Program |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/vanpool |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> Community Transit reports that there are 361 active vanpools using their service, providing 908,488 rides in 2015, the 12th largest vanpool program in the United States that year.<ref name="TDP" />{{rp|40}}<ref>{{cite book |date=November 2015 |title=2015 APTA Public Transportation Fact Book |page=39 |url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/FactBook/2015-APTA-Fact-Book.pdf |publisher=[[American Public Transportation Association]] |access-date=June 11, 2016}}</ref> CT leases vanpool lots, called "park and pool lots", from local churches and other private parties at 14 locations in the county with a total capacity of 463 parking stalls.<ref name="TDP2024"/> [[Dial-a-ride]] transportation (DART) service is also offered by Community Transit, contracted through Senior Services of Snohomish County since 1981.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Marjorie |date=October 3, 1981 |title=Loss of bus shuts out senior-center regulars |page=A11 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> DART [[paratransit]], operated by Transdev, is available for a set fare for qualifying customers within {{convert|0.75|mi|km|2}} of local CT routes during regular operating hours.<ref name="CT-D&A">{{cite web |title=Disability & Accessibility |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/busservice/accessibility |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> {{As of|2024}}, CT has approximately 6,850 registered DART users and the system carries over 120,000 trips annually.<ref name="TDP2024"/>

An on-demand [[microtransit]] system, Zip Shuttle, launched in October 2022 to serve Lynnwood and the area around Alderwood Mall. It operates similar to [[ridesharing company|ride-hailing service]] with fixed fares (including payment via ORCA cards) and is available to all members of the public; trips are requested through an app or phone call.<ref>{{cite news |last=Watanabe |first=Ben |date=October 20, 2022 |title=$2.50 on-demand transit launches in Lynnwood's Alderwood area |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/2-50-on-demand-transit-launches-in-lynnwoods-alderwood-area/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 2, 2023}}</ref> It was originally a one-year pilot until being made a permanent service in October 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=October 10, 2023 |title=Community Transit board votes to keep on-demand Zip shuttles |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/community-transit-board-votes-to-keep-on-demand-zip-shuttles/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 3, 2024}}</ref> The system expanded to zones in [[Arlington, Washington|Arlington]], [[Darrington, Washington|Darrington]], and [[Lake Stevens, Washington|Lake Stevens]] in December 2024 under a contract with [[Via Transportation]], which took over operations of the Alderwood system the following year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansen |first=Jordan |date=December 15, 2024 |title=Zip Shuttle expanding to Darrington, Arlington, Lake Stevens |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/zip-shuttle-expanding-to-darrington-arlington-lake-stevens/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 4, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=January 31, 2025 |title=New app for Alderwood Zip Shuttle users effective Feb. 1 |url=https://lynnwoodtoday.com/new-app-for-alderwood-zip-shuttle-users-effective-feb-1/ |work=Lynnwood Today |accessdate=March 4, 2025}}</ref>

===Ridership===

In 2024, Community Transit carried a total of 8.4{{nbsp}}million trips across all of its services—the third-most among transit agencies in the [[Puget Sound region]] behind [[King County Metro]] and [[Sound Transit]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Deshais |first=Nicholas |date=March 17, 2025 |title=Seattle-area transit ridership keeps climbing, especially in one city |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-area-transit-ridership-keeps-climbing-in-one-city-especially/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 17, 2025}}</ref> The majority of ridership is on fixed route buses, including the Swift system.<ref name="TDP2024"/> A decade prior, Community Transit had been fourth among transit agencies locally, behind [[Pierce Transit]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Charnews |first=Mark |date=May 2014 |title=Regional Transit Ridership |url=http://www.psrc.org/assets/2122/trend-t6.pdf |work=Puget Sound Trends |publisher=[[Puget Sound Regional Council]] |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416181143/http://www.psrc.org/assets/2122/trend-t6.pdf |archive-date=April 16, 2015 }}</ref>

=== Fares ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="float:right;text-align:center;margin:1em"
|-
! '''Fare Type'''
! '''Adult'''
! '''Reduced &<br />ORCA Lift'''
! '''Youth'''
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| Bus
| $2.50
| $1.00
| Free
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| Zip Shuttle
| $2.50
| $1.00
| Free
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| DART Paratransit
| colspan=2 | $2.50
| Free
|-
! scope=row colspan=4 | ''{{As of|2025|03|01|df=US}}''<ref name="Fares">{{cite web |date=March 2025 |title=Fares & Passes |url=https://www.communitytransit.org/fares-and-passes/ |publisher=Community Transit |accessdate=March 4, 2025}}</ref> 
|}

Fares on Community Transit buses are priced into three groups: adult, youth, and reduced. Adult fare is charged for passengers between the ages of 19 and 64, youth fare is charged for passengers 18 years old or younger, and the reduced fare is charged for passengers over the age of 65 or those with disabilities or [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare card holders]].<ref name="Fares" /> On July 1, 2019, Community Transit introduced a low-income fare as part of the regional ORCA Lift program.<ref name="ORCALift">{{cite press release |date=June 25, 2019 |title=ORCA LIFT Low-Income Bus Fare Expands to Snohomish County, July 1 |url=https://www.communitytransit.org/news/community-transit-news/2019/06/25/orca-lift-low-income-bus-fare-expands-to-snohomish-county-july-1 |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=August 23, 2019}}</ref> Youth fares were made [[Free public transport|free]] with valid ID on September 1, 2022, as part of a state grant program that lasts until 2039.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gruben |first=Mallory |date=September 2, 2022 |title='Just get on the bus': Kids can ride for free now in Snohomish County |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/just-get-on-the-bus-kids-can-ride-for-free-now-in-snohomish-county/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 1, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Watanabe |first=Ben |date=January 9, 2023 |title=Early Community Transit data shows youth ridership bump |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/early-community-transit-data-shows-youth-ridership-bump/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=March 1, 2023}}</ref>

The regional [[ORCA card]] was introduced as an integrated [[smart card]] for transit agencies in the [[Puget Sound region]] on April 20, 2009,<ref>{{cite news|date=April 21, 2009 |title=ORCA Smart Card Limited Rollout Underway |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1319 |location=Everett, Washington |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082411/http://www.communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1319 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> allowing users to load monthly passes and value through an e-purse web interface. The card also allowed free transfers within a two-hour period between transit agencies of equal value, with the difference for higher fare subtracted from the e-purse or prompting for cash.<ref>{{cite web|title=ORCA Smart Card: ORCA Saves Time and Money |url=http://commtrans.org/orca/ |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905020139/http://commtrans.org/orca/ |archive-date=September 5, 2014 }}</ref> While initially available for no fee, effective March 1, 2010, a $5 cost was added when ordering a standard adult or youth ORCA card.<ref>{{cite news|date=January 15, 2010 |title=No-Fee ORCA Card Promotion Extended One Month |url=http://www.communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1370 |location=Everett, Washington |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093751/http://www.communitytransit.org/newsrelease/1370 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> CT removed their paper transfers on January 1, 2010, after the ORCA card made them obsolete.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 18, 2009 |title=No More Paper Transfers Starting Jan. 1 |url=http://communitytransit.org/news/RiderAlert.cfm?id=1190 |work=Rider Alerts |publisher=Community Transit |access-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103713/http://communitytransit.org/news/RiderAlert.cfm?id=1190 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

Community Transit also offers monthly passes through local [[higher education]] institutions, including [[Edmonds College]], the [[University of Washington]], [[Cascadia College]], and the Lynnwood Campus of [[Central Washington University]].<ref name="Fares" /> [[Dial-a-ride]] transportation, a type of [[paratransit]] service operated by Community Transit, has a flat fare of $2.50 without discounts or separate categories. ORCA cards are not accepted on DART, replaced by tickets and monthly passes for frequent users.<ref name="Fares" />