The Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, also known as "Pierce Transit", was formed in 1979 when voters passed a 0.3 percent sales tax to fund public transportation. By authorizing this taxing authority, a municipal corporation (Pierce Transit) was formed under Chapter 36.57A of the Revised Code of Washington. In 2002, voters passed an additional 0.3 percent sales tax to replace revenue lost when Initiative 695 cut off the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax as a source of funding for public transportation.

Pierce Transit's mission is to provide safe, courteous, reliable transportation services over a 414 square mile area with an estimated population of 721,000. Pierce Transit's service area includes the cities and towns of Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Fife, Edgewood, Fircrest, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Milton, Orting, Puyallup, Ruston, Steilacoom, Sumner, Tacoma and University Place, along with extensive unincorporated areas of Pierce County.  

The Agency is governed by a Board of Commissioners. The Board is comprised of nine elected officials representing the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, Lakewood, University Place/Puyallup (a rotating appointment) and the smaller towns and cities of Pierce Transit's service area.

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for implementation of the policies legislated by the Board of Commissioners. In order to provide overall management for the Authority, six departments have been established: Executive, Operations, Maintenance, Technology & Transit Development, Finance & Administration and Human Resources & Labor Relations.

Services

Serving these areas is a fleet of over 270 buses, all wheelchair accessible. 215 run on compressed natural gas. Eleven Transit Centers and Stations, over 3,300 bus stops, more than 200 covered bus shelters and 20 park-and-ride lots are provided for our patrons. Pierce Transit's fixed-route service carried more than 14 million passengers in 2005.  

Pierce Transit operates 320 public vanpools, providing service for commuters traveling throughout the Puget Sound region, especially those not well served by fixed route buses or traveling long distances. More than 814,000 trips were provided in 2006.

Our demand-response service, SHUTTLE, provides transportation for people certified eligible for the service because they are functionally unable to ride a fixed-route bus. To best serve disabled riders and maximize SHUTTLE efficiency, rides are organized on a subscription, group or call-in basis. More than 435,000 trips were provided in 2005.