Editing Community Transit (section)

=== Growth and contracted service (1980s) ===
[[File:Community Transit Flyer D901 bus leaving UW in 1982.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A Community Transit bus turning a corner to leave the University of Washington campus|A 1981 [[New Flyer|Flyer]] D901 bus in Community Transit's original livery leaving the [[University of Washington]] campus in 1982]]

Community Transit was selected as the official name of the agency on June 19, 1979, recommended by Seattle-based [[public relations]] firm McConnell Company ahead of the winners of a public contest held by SCPTBA two years prior.<ref name="SeaTimes-CT1979" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Cartwright |first=Jane |date=June 29, 1977 |title=What's in a name? Buses are the same |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> CT continued to grow through the end of the decade, annexing the cities of [[Arlington, Washington|Arlington]], [[Lake Stevens, Washington|Lake Stevens]], [[Monroe, Washington|Monroe]], [[Granite Falls, Washington|Granite Falls]], [[Mukilteo, Washington|Mukilteo]], [[Stanwood, Washington|Stanwood]] and [[Sultan, Washington|Sultan]] into the PTBA by 1980;<ref name="SeaTimes-1977" /><ref name="SeaTimes-1980">{{cite news |last=Suffia |first=David |date=October 8, 1980 |title=Community Transit marking four years of growth |page=F2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> the bus system had the largest growth in ridership within the state in 1980, with local routes gaining 68.3 percent more riders and Metro-operated "Cream Buses" to Seattle gaining 21.4 percent more riders.<ref name="SeaTimes-1980" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Macdonald |first=Sally |date=August 13, 1980 |title=Gains in bus ridership highest in state |page=F1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Metro altered their numbering scheme for Snohomish County routes in 1981, creating the 400-series of routes to coincide with the opening of the state's largest [[park and ride]] in Lynnwood (which would later become [[Lynnwood Transit Center]]).<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=May 20, 1981 |title=Lynnwood park-and-ride lot ready for use |page=G2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The annexations of outlying communities in northern and eastern Snohomish County and the completion of park and rides in Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace saw ridership rise to over 3 million passengers by 1983.<ref>{{WSDOT Public Transit Summary |year=1984 |chapter=Local Transit Statewide: Community Transit |pages=37–43 |oclc=13007541 |access-date=September 11, 2014}}</ref>

Community Transit launched its longest commuter route, between Seattle and Stanwood, in October 1987.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 4, 1987 |title=Community Transit starts new Stanwood-to-Seattle route |page=17 |work=[[Marysville Globe]]}}</ref> They took over the remaining Metro commuter routes to Seattle in 1989,<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=September 21, 1988 |title=Metro buses won't be traveling to Snohomish County after April |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB53303482890B8?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=[[NewsBank]] |page=H5 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=June 9, 1989 |title=Some bus commuters to say goodbye to Metro |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB5336C0FCCFC21?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=B3 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> after commuter service was [[subcontract]]ed to [[American Transportation Enterprises]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=July 23, 1986 |title=Harmony reached so buses can roll |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB531EE4EA2F531?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> The move to a private carrier was opposed by both Metro and the [[Amalgamated Transit Union]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=July 3, 1985 |title=Metro warns CT about expanding into Downtown Seattle |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB53150309951CF?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=January 22, 1986 |title=Transit union concerned over private contract |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB531B04E4F88AB?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=D1 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> but the introduction of 49 [[Air conditioning|air conditioned]] coaches by ATE led to a 25 percent increase in ridership by January 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gilje |first=Shelby |date=September 23, 1986 |title=Rider contends comfort has taken a back seat on commuter buses |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB53202E7519D66?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=E7 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=January 7, 1987 |title=Commuters flock to new CT buses |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB5322DF10E1746?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> Commuter express service via [[Interstate 405 (Washington)|Interstate 405]] from CT park and rides in South Snohomish County to the [[Eastside (King County, Washington)|Eastside]] cities of [[Bellevue, Washington|Bellevue]] and [[Redmond, Washington|Redmond]] began in 1988 and 1990, respectively,<ref>{{cite news |last=Clutter |first=Stephen |date=June 14, 1988 |title=Lynnwood-Bellevue bus off and rolling |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB532E172F01BD0?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=B3 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 21, 1990 |title=CT to begin limited bus service to Redmond |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19900621/1078267/ct-to-begin-limited-bus-service-to-redmond |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> while Seattle service was expanded with weekend service in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=June 4, 1990 |title=CT to expand commuter service |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19900604/1075447/ct-to-expand-commuter-service----weekend-runs-will-be-offered |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref> The agency dedicated its own {{convert|20|acre|ha|adj=mid}} [[Bus garage|bus base]] at Kasch Park in 1985, replacing shared operations with the [[Edmonds School District]] and Everett Transit, at a cost of $4.8&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|48000000|1985}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}){{Inflation-fn|US}} that was mostly funded by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration.<ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=May 1, 1985 |title=New Everett base to bring Community Transit together |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB5313B09322F2C?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Aweeka |first=Charles |date=October 9, 1985 |title=Transit head puts brakes to maintenance flap |url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0EB5317B6229E5F3?p=AMNEWS |url-access=subscription |via=NewsBank |page=H2 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 8, 2014}}</ref>