Pierce Transit provides an essential public service to a population of more than 538,700 in a 292 square-mile area. In 2015 we provided more than 12 million miles of transportation services to our community.
WHO RIDES PIERCE TRANSIT BUSES?
- Average age is 34 years old
- 39% have no working vehicle
- 62% are ORCA card users
- 44% from households with annual incomes below $20,000
WHERE ARE THE RIDERS GOING?
- 30% - work
- 22% - school / college
- 18% - recreation & social activities
- 16% - shopping & errands
- 13% - appointments
Public Transportation Services For Our Community
Local Bus Routes*- 37 routes with 141 buses
- 9.1 million boardings
- 30,238 boardings per weekday
- 5.1 million miles
SHUTTLE Paratransit*
SHUTTLE is a shared-ride service for eligible customers who, because of their disability, are unable to ride a regular bus.
- 97 vehicles
- 368,411 boardings
- 5,686 clients
- 2,700,000 miles
VANPOOL & Rideshare*
Rideshare services include vanpools, carpools, Park & Ride lots, plus workplace transportation programs for more than 300 employers.Vanpool Service*
- 366 vans
- 2,600 customers
- 849,159 annual vanpool trips
- 4,700,000 miles
*2015 Data
Report To The Community
Moving Forward
"We are committed to restoring our fixed-route service levels and providing more mobility options for our community."You may notice that we will soon begin a freshening up of our bus stops, shelters, park & rides and transit centers. Pierce Transit owns transit amenities in 70 percent of Pierce County's neighborhoods. Due to long-deferred maintenance, some of those facilities could use some additional attention. We are committed to maintaining our facilities at a level the people of Pierce County deserve. We are also re-engaging with our community, providing service for special events and reconnecting with various groups and organizations to share information about our services. You will learn more about many of our current projects and more in this new report.
At Pierce Transit we are proud to serve you. As we look toward the future and new ways to connect people with transportation, we will keep our eye toward innovation and the ever-changing ways to deliver these services. We hope you will join us for a trip soon on a local bus or explore our many vanpooling options. We are here to get you where you need to go, reliably, safely and with a dedication to customer service excellence.
With regards,
Sue Dreier
Pierce Transit CEO
Pete Zitka - LONG-TIME VANPOOL DRIVER
For Pete Zitka, vanpooling has become a way of life. He's been in the same Pierce Transit Vanpool for 13 years. The vanpool itself has been in existence for more than 17 years. Pete decided to join a vanpool when, after many years of shift work, his work hours changed to a more regular schedule. He was excited to be able to take advantage of a free commute (his employer foots the bill), so he joined the vanpool and never looked back. Says Pete of his vanpooling experience:
"Interacting with other riders made the trip to and from work seem shorter and more enjoyable, not to mention safer as you have several extra sets of eyes to help watch the road. Vanpooling enabled me to keep thousands of miles off my own vehicles over the years. It also saved me money in gas, allowing me to use those funds for other activities and projects."
Susan Quinlivan - SHUTTLE AND BUS RIDER
Puyallup resident Susan Quinlivan moved to Washington in 2008. She had never ridden transit before, and needed some help getting started. One of Pierce Transit's dedicated travel trainers, Allison Berg, was right there to help. Susan learned how to use the transit system and get to where she wanted to go. As Susan put it, "Allison opened up a lot of doors for me by helping me set up a trip plan and even riding the bus with me to help me feel more comfortable."
Susan is eligible to take the SHUTTLE for some trips and takes the fixed-route bus for others. She loves to get out and takes transit to shopping, parks, church, medical appointments, the Tacoma Farmers Market and the Puyallup Activity Center. As Susan puts it, "The bus and SHUTTLE are a lifeline for me." What would she tell others about riding transit? "This is a great service that allows you to get out and enjoy yourself. You'll make friends along the way, and it's a wonderful way to become even more independent than you thought you could!"
Dr. Chen - BUS RIDER, TACOMA RESIDENT
Tacoma-Pierce County Director of Health Dr. Anthony Chen has been riding the bus for years, taking it to work daily. Dr. Chen lives in downtown Tacoma, a five-minute walk from many routes. To help with riding, he uses Pierce Transit's trip planner and the One Bus Away app. Dr. Chen says he is really lucky to have so many transportation options and he's glad he has public transportation in his neighborhood. Being active is important to Dr. Chen. A lot of his job involves sitting, and he wears a pedometer to track his steps. Taking the bus helps him get in extra steps as he walks to and from the bus stop.
Pierce Transit Special Events Services
Helping people get to and from major community events is a high priority for Pierce Transit. We look forward to making the trip easier so you can enjoy your time exploring the great activities that happen in our backyard. This year Pierce Transit is pleased to provide express service to three events happening around the community:
Freedom Fair Express - Thanks to the Tacoma Events Commission, every Pierce Transit bus will operate free on July 4, 2016. This includes our Freedom Fair Express direct service from Tacoma Dome Station and Tacoma Community College to the Freedom Fair in Old Town Tacoma.
2016 Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Air Show & Warrior Expo - More than an air show, this event is JBLM's way to thank people around the Puget Sound area for their support of service members and military families. Pierce Transit's express service will operate August 27-28, transporting you from Lakewood Towne Center, Lakewood Station, and Tacoma Dome Station to McChord Field.
Washington State Fair Express - Our popular express service will again operate from Tacoma Mall, Lakewood Towne Center, and South Hill Mall to the Washington State Fair each day the Fair is open from September 2-25.
Reconnecting with our community
It's been great seeing so many of you as we have been out in the community talking with groups about Pierce Transit's services.
Among others, we have addressed the Regional Access Mobility Partnership, the Puyallup South Hill Rotary, the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Forum, the Frederickson Business Team, the Mid-County Leadership Team, and Downtown On the Go, and are scheduled to address more groups soon. If you'd like Pierce Transit to provide your organization with information or a presentation about our services, contact Communications Manager Rebecca Japhet at rjaphet@piercetransit.org.
stable financial outlook
Pierce Transit continues to experience continual increase in sales tax collections, which accounts for 73% of the Agency's operating revenues.
Now that revenues are increasing, the Agency is expanding service.
Help design our bus route system
Pierce Transit's service is growing again, and it's critically important that we provide the additional service where it is needed most. To that end we are conducting a formal and thorough analysis of our bus route network and seeking to answer the questions: Is the current bus route network the right design for the future? How well does it fit the community plans of the area? Does Pierce Transit make it easy for customers to get connected? Out of this process will come recommendations for short-term restoration of service hours, as well as a longer-term system vision designed to meet the traveling needs of the region.
We invite the public to participate in this process by visiting piercetransit.org to learn more, provide feedback, and contribute through a "Build Your Own System" web tool to tell us how you would like us to prioritize services. Later this summer we will conduct public meetings to share preliminary recommendations and provide opportunity for further public input. You will find the meeting dates and times on our web site as soon as they are available. We are here to serve you and appreciate your input as we make plans to provide you with additional bus service.
Pierce Transit and MultiCare look to the future
Since the 1990's, Pierce Transit and MultiCare Health System (MHS) have been partnering to contribute to Pierce County's vibrant and growing community. In 2016, the partnership took a giant leap forward as MultiCare leaders strengthened their pledge to alternative transportation options by making ORCA Passport, a pass that can be used for unlimited travel on six regional transit agencies, available to all 10,000 of their employees!
Kevin Dull, MultiCare's Senior Vice President and Chief of Human Potential, became an instrumental part in securing MultiCare's commitment to the ORCA Passport program. Employees are allowed to use their ORCA Passport not only to get to work, but anywhere they would like to go in the region.
"MultiCare Health System knows that Pierce Transit is a key component in the creation of a healthy and thriving community," Dull said. "MultiCare partners with many local organizations including businesses, Pierce County public schools, community colleges, Bates and Clover Park colleges, local universities and many other organizations. Pierce Transit is a natural and welcomed addition to our partnering efforts for the communities MHS serves."
MultiCare's switch to Passport did not go unnoticed.
"Employees are sending personal thank-you notes for expanding the program!"
- Kevin Dull, MultiCare Health System
We look forward to continuously growing our partnership with MultiCare Health System far into the future!
Start your career with Pierce Transit
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