Transit in 2024: what we heard from residents and riders

The first phase of our Transit in 2024 public engagement focused on a few key areas to help us plan a future network that meets the needs of our communities.

Our main goals for the future network are:

• Create easy connections between light rail, Swift bus rapid transit service, and frequent local bus lines on arterial roads.
• Fast trips between key points throughout Snohomish County.
• Transit access to more jobs and essential services.
• Less waiting time and shorter walking distances between bus connections.
• More midday, evening, and weekend bus service.
• Improved service for those who depend on transit the most.

To help achieve these goals, we asked for your feedback on barriers to transit usage, where you want more transit service, as well as what days of the week and what times of day need more service.

What we heard

Community Transit received 976 survey responses from people across Snohomish County and those who travel through our region. Highlights of the survey results include:

• Barriers to transit usage differed for those who ride transit vs. those who don’t:
  • Barriers to more usage for current or former transit riders
  • “Having to take more than one bus to get to my destination” (29%)
  • “Wait times at bus stops are too long” (27%)
  • “I already ride the bus whenever I can!” (24%)

• Non-riders:
  • “Buses do not stop near my home” (38%)
  • “Buses don’t go where I need to go” (34%)

• Where to add more service: Survey responses indicated a preference for more local bus service (53%) over regional service to transit centers (47%).
• When to add more service: 71% of respondents favored more service on weekdays, with 17% preferring Saturday and 12% preferring Sunday.
• Which hours to add more service: There was higher preference for more service during the middle of the day (26%), mornings (21%), and later than current service hours (19%).

Next steps

We are currently using your feedback, demographic data, and our new equity index to develop a draft transit network for 2024. We expect to ask for your feedback on this draft transit network in late spring. The draft will show proposed routes and frequencies across our entire service area, including the new Swift Orange Line, connections to light rail in Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood, and new neighborhoods we hope to start serving in 2024.

To stay informed on this work, please subscribe to our “2024 Network Planning” rider alerts or follow us on social media.