Pierce Transit Runner Now Available in Transit

Pierce Transit’s All-In-One App

Innovative integration from Pierce Transit, the Transit app, and Via enables riders to plan and pay for multimodal trips that connect to buses and other transit services.

Pierce Transit Runner is now available in Transit, Pierce Transit’s all-in-one app to plan, track and pay for rides. Thanks to this new integration, riders can for the first time plan and pay for trips that combine Pierce Transit’s on-demand and regular bus services.

Passengers can plan a trip in Transit to their destination using a combination of on-demand and bus service, then link directly to the Pierce Transit Runner app to request their ride.

Pierce Transit Runner is designed to offer a flexible transit option in Pierce County with direct connections to transit stops (point-to-hub) or to another address within the service zone (point-to-point) – all for the same cost as a bus trip. Rides must begin and end within the four main service zones – Puyallup, Spanaway, Tideflats, and Ruston – which operate between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.

This marks another successful collaboration between Transit and Via, an industry leader in on-demand transit solutions. A growing number of transit agencies are looking to microtransit as a way to complement traditional fixed-route service and extend the reach of their network, and this collaboration between Pierce Transit, Via and Transit brings the power of on-demand transportation to riders’ fingertips.

In December 2022, Pierce Transit launched a ticketing integration powered by Token Transit in the Transit app. With the addition of this on-demand transit integration, Pierce Transit provides its riders an end-to-end digital experience for planning, tracking, paying for, and now requesting rides.

Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus commented “I’m excited to announce that the Pierce Transit Runner service is now available for booking within Pierce Transit’s all-in-one Transit App. The Transit App allows our customers the ability to quickly access bus and Runner information on the go, enables seamless trip planning, and offers a simple way to find first-and-last-mile connections from the Runner service into the fixed-route system. This is just one of many steps Pierce Transit is taking toward elevating the Customer experience.”

“Integrating Pierce Transit Runner to Transit is a macro win for microtransit in Pierce County,” said David Block-Schacter, Chief Business Officer at Transit. “By making the service accessible in the app riders are already using to plan and pay for multimodal trips, Pierce Transit is helping its customers make the most of its entire network. We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Pierce Transit and bring the people of Pierce County an easy way to use Pierce Transit Runner as the flexible option to simplify their commutes.”

Transit is available in the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting www.transitapp.com.

About Pierce Transit: Founded in 1979, 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: bus, SHUTTLE paratransit, on-demand Runner microtransit and Rideshare that help get passengers to jobs, schools and appointments.