Board Approves New Bus Service Plan
New Boeing route, more Seattle trips and precursor to Swift Green Line set for September
Snohomish County, Wash. – The Community Transit Board of Directors today approved a plan to increase bus service by 6 percent this fall, including two routes that will serve the Boeing-Paine Field area from south Snohomish County.
The plan will also improve transit connections throughout the county, add more weekday trips to Seattle and UW, and improve Sunday bus service with more frequent buses and later hours on some routes.
The final plan differs slightly from a proposal offered to riders in March, based on customer feedback. All changes will be effective this fall, except for the extension of late-night Sunday service, which will take effect in March 2018.
New route
A new Route 107 will operate between Lynnwood Transit Center and Boeing/Paine Field via Mukilteo Speedway. The route will operate on weekdays only, peak hour, peak direction. There will be three morning northbound trips and three evening southbound trips to meet the growing demand for service to Paine Field from the south.
Revised routes
Route 105 will be extended north from the Mariner Park & Ride via Airport Road to serve Paine Field, Boeing, Seaway Blvd. and Hardeson Road in south Everett. These extended trips will operate both directions weekdays only from 5 - 8 a.m. and 1:45 – 6 p.m. This routing establishes local bus service all along the future Swift Green Line corridor.
Route 106 will not change. Customer feedback led the agency to not recommend changes to this route at this time.
Route 115 will retain its current routing but will terminate at the McCollum Park & Ride. Customer feedback led the agency to not recommend further changes to this route at this time.
Route 196 will be extended north to the Ash Way Park & Ride, increasing bus service between Ash Way and Alderwood Mall and providing a new regional connection.
Route 209 will be extended north to the Smokey Point Transit Center via I-5, creating new connections between Smokey Point and Quil Ceda Village for Routes 220, 230 & 240.
Routes 270, 271 & 280 will not change routing in downtown Everett. Customer feedback led the agency to not recommend changes to these routes at this time.
Route 277 will be eliminated. Hwy 2 service to Boeing will be provided by extended trips on Routes 270 & 271.
Route 280 peak hour trips ending in Lake Stevens will have a shorter turnaround to/from 20th Street. Also, Route 280 will be realigned in Granite Falls off Hwy 92 via Quarry Road, Burn Road and Jordan Road to serve Granite Falls High School and new development in that area. No other routing changes will take place at this time.
Added trips
Downtown Seattle and University of Washington. There will be 23 additional trips to downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. Trips will be split between morning and evening service, with the majority of trips serving downtown. Routes and trips will be determined based on ridership demand.
Sunday Service. There will be 37 midday trips added on Routes 240, 271 and 280 to create 60-minute, all-day service.
There will also be 11 evening trips added to extend Sunday service hours on the Swift Blue Line, & Routes 105, 109, 113, 130, 196 and 202. (This will take place in March 2018.)
DART paratransit expansion
Because this service expansion proposal includes service to new areas, as well as expanded hours of bus operations, DART paratransit service will be expanded. DART is available to eligible residents within ¾-miles of a local, non-commuter fixed route during the same hours the bus operates.
Community Transit is responsible for providing bus and paratransit service, vanpool and alternative commute options in Snohomish County. The agency is building a network of Swift bus rapid transit lines with Swift Blue Line along Highway 99 and the Swift Green Line between Canyon Park/Bothell and Boeing/Paine Field coming in 2019.
