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Pierce Transit Key Messages & Topics April 2024
All customers are invited to ride fare free on Pierce Transit bus, SHUTTLE and Runner services Monday, April 22 to honor Earth Day.
Join Pierce Transit in celebrating the new Stream Community Line at a ribbon cutting event on Monday, April 22 at noon outside our Customer Service Center at Tacoma Dome Station.
Your Ride, Your Way
On March 31, in response to community feedback, Pierce Transit made its biggest service change in seven years. Here are some of the highlights.Improved Bus Routes
- Pierce Transit made schedule improvements to the majority of its bus routes. Some changes were minor, others more significant.
- The schedule changes allow buses that stop at the same place to come together at a similar time, vastly improving the transit experience for riders making connections.
- We have also conducted in-depth analyses of every route based on traffic and other factors, providing more accurate schedules and ensuring buses arrive on time more often.
Additional Service Improvements
- Launched a Runner on-demand service zone in Gig Harbor, offering a new transit option in areas that are difficult to safely serve with a bus, plus extended hours and connections to other transit services.
- Retired three low-performing routes (and a portion of one other route) and transitioned those riders to Runner zones. Runner zones now entirely encompass the areas of the retiring routes, plus offer on-demand, curb-to-curb, accessible rides with longer hours of service.
- Launched Stream Community Line, a high-capacity transit service, between Spanaway and downtown Tacoma, offering a frequent, rapid and convenient weekday morning and afternoon service with a faster trip.
New Gig Harbor Runner Zone
- Pierce Transit Runner is an on-demand service that offers curb-to-curb transportation, typically in areas with limited transit options.
- There are now six Runner zones serving Pierce County, providing connections to Ruston and along Ruston Way, the Tideflats, JBLM, in the Spanaway/Parkland/Midland area, in Puyallup and now in Gig Harbor.
- This newest zone serves the City of Gig Harbor and the surrounding area. The zone includes St. Anthony Hospital, Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor Campus, and the Tom Taylor YMCA. It also serves Purdy and Kimball Park & Rides, where riders can make transit connections to local and regional transportation.
- The Gig Harbor Runner is available seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- We introduced an improved app with the Puyallup Runner last November and added all other zones early this year. To download it, look for the Pierce Transit Runner app.
- For more information on Runner, including hours and fares, visit PierceTransit.org/Runner.
Have You Tried Stream Community Line Yet?
- Stream Community Line serves a 14.4-mile corridor along Pacific Avenue/SR-7 between Tacoma and Spanaway.
- Stream service offers many benefits, including:
- Service in addition to the existing Route 1, providing another option on weekday mornings and afternoons for commuters looking to make a more direct trip.
- The bus serves only 14 major bus stops in each direction, saving significant travel time between Spanaway and Tacoma Dome Station.
- Stream runs on weekdays from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m., and from 4 to 7 p.m. to help those riders who commute to/from downtown Tacoma and who connect to other local and regional transit services.
- This service offers a new and vital connection to Tacoma Dome Station, including Tacoma Link light rail service and timed connections with Sounder trains.
- Stream buses have a distinct paint job and Stream-specified messaging above the windshield to allow riders to differentiate between Route 1 and Stream service.
- Watch for future, phased-in improvements, such as upgraded stops and additional speed and reliability features, such as Transit Signal Priority, which speeds up the trip by signaling the traffic light to stay green longer so the bus can get through the intersection.
- Stream Community Line is a partnership with MultiCare.
- Check out PierceTransit.org/Stream for more Stream Community Line information.
Golden Apple Award
- Pierce Transit’s Wellness Program has been selected for the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Golden Apple Award.
- The Golden Apple Awards recognize outstanding employee health promotion programs in Washington State.
- Members of the Pierce Transit Wellness Committee received the award at the annual Healthy Worksite Summit.
- Pierce Transit was one of only two agencies that won the award in Washington State.
Runner now in Transit App
- Transit app provides real-time arrival information for all Pierce Transit buses and other transit services across the region, as well as ticket purchase options.
- Transit app now includes Pierce Transit Runner, making trip planning and transfers to or from the regular bus even easier for our riders.
- When customers open Transit app, they will see the closest bus services and now they’ll also see Runner as an option if they are in a Runner zone during the times it is active.
- Information on Transit app and how to download it is available at PierceTransit.org/transit
Free Youth Transit Pass
- Youth ages 18 and under ride fare free on public transit throughout our region.
- Young people who have an ORCA card should register the card at myORCA.com or at our Customer Service Center at Tacoma Dome Station, to ensure free rides until their 19th birthday.
- If you know a young person who would like to learn how to ride transit, check out our new webpage full of Youth Ridership Resources: PierceTransit.org/YouthRidershipResources