Our Mission Is to Serve

Pierce Transit improves people’s quality of life by providing safe, reliable, innovative and useful transportation services that are locally based and regionally connected.

A Message From Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus

Pierce Transit is proud to serve our community as your local public transportation provider. In 2023, Pierce Transit delivered more than 6.8 million rides for people heading to work, medical appointments, grocery shopping, visits with friends and other important destinations. We are an innovative agency, working to provide creative transportation services such as the Runner that connects people to transit in areas that don’t currently have robust service, and our new Stream Community Line, a high-capacity, rapid bus service between Tacoma and Spanaway.

Ridership on Pierce Transit continues to grow as people discover how easy and affordable it is to use – in fact, ridership rose 22 percent in 2023 alone. We are also focused on sustainability, having reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent since 2017, and adding electric vehicles to our fleet, with the goal of 20 percent of our fleet producing zero emissions by 2030. We focus on keeping our employees and customers safe, with a dedicated public safety force, plus more than 1,000 cameras throughout our system and new shelters with lighting. We keep our customers top-of-mind, with a new Customer Experience Plan focused on continually improving our riders’ experiences and a Strategic Plan that will guide our work over the next six years.

I am proud to serve as Pierce Transit’s CEO and hope you will join me on board soon to experience our exceptional service.

mike griffus
Mike Griffus

Our Board

Pierce Transit is governed by a ten-member Board of Commissioners. The Board is made up of elected officials representing thirteen jurisdictions, Pierce County and one non-voting Union Representative.

Executive Finance Committee

The Committee serves as a sounding board to the Agency on various policy matters and approves contracts up to its allowed authority established by the Board of Commissioners.

Service Delivery & Capital Committee

The SDCC’s role is to provide additional oversight on items such as the operational service needs of the system, the customer experience and significant capital projects.

Community Transportation Advisory Group

The Pierce Transit Community Transportation Advisory Group (CTAG) is a nine-member advisory group that provides input to the Board of Commissioners.

Public Notices, Events & News

Key Performance Indicators

One of the best ways to ensure an organization is constantly improving is to track “Key Performance Indicators,” or KPIs. KPIs are a set of quantifiable measures that an organization uses to gauge its performance and determine if it is meeting its strategic and operational goals. Pierce Transit is very much focused on using KPIs to help us know whether we are moving toward attaining our goals and, if not, where to focus our attention.

By using KPIs to track our progress, we are able to make data-driven decisions that better serve our customers and the people of Pierce County who fund the services we provide.

Click through to view what KPIs Pierce Transit tracks.

A Brief History

Founded in 1979, Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (Pierce Transit) is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry. Pierce Transit covers 292 square miles of Pierce County with roughly 70% of the county population. Serving Washington’s second largest county, Pierce Transit provides four types of service, Fixed Route, SHUTTLE paratransit, Rideshare and Runner that help get passengers to jobs, schools and appointments.

Financing

Primary sources of operating and capital revenue:

  • 0.6% Local Sales Tax
  • Passenger Fares
  • Federal Transit Administration
  • Sound Transit for regional service
  • Pierce Transit is a separate municipal corporation, not part of the City of Tacoma, Sound Transit, or Pierce County.