Pierce Transit, officially the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, is an operator of public transit in Pierce County, Washington. It operates a variety of services, including fixed-route buses, dial-a-ride transportation, vanpool and ride-matching for carpools. The agency's service area covers the urbanized portions of Pierce County, part of the Seattle metropolitan area, and includes the city of Tacoma. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 7,021,900, or about 24,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Public transportation in Pierce County historically focused on the city of Tacoma, which laid its first streetcar lines in 1888. The streetcars were phased out in the 1930s and replaced with citywide bus service, with the last line closing in 1938.[3] The operators of the streetcar and bus systems, Tacoma Transit Company, was acquired by the city government in 1961 for $750,000. Under city ownership, the system was funded by a $0.75 monthly household tax first levied in 1965.[4]
A public transportation benefit area (PTBA) was created in 1979 with the goal of establishing a countywide bus system. On November 6, 1979, voters in Tacoma approved a 0.3 percent sales tax to fund a new transit system, initially named the Pierce County Public Transit Benefit Area Authority, that would eventually expand to cover the county.[5] The Pierce County PBTA took over Tacoma Transit's routes on January 1, 1980, and over the following year annexed other systems throughout the county.[4] The takeover of Tacoma Transit was done on a temporary agreement while a final cost for the system was under negotiation.[6] The agency adopted its new name, "Pierce Transit", in June 1980; the name "Tahoma Transit" was favored by staff, while board members proposed "The Bus" and "GO".[7]
Pierce Transit began expanding outside of Tacoma on July 1, 1980, with new routes to Federal Way, Fife, Milton, Puyallup, Sumner, Fort Lewis, and McChord Air Force Base.[8] The Federal Way route was created through an agreement with Metro Transit, King County's system, to provide a seamless transfer to an existing express route to Downtown Seattle.[9] These new routes competed with an existing private operator, who filed a lawsuit to halt Pierce Transit's expansion after negotiations broke down.[10] Under threat of a potential injunction from the Pierce County Superior Court, a tentative agreement was reached between Pierce Transit and the operator, who would operate new routes under a contract with the agency.[11]
Pierce Transit began operating direct express bus service from Lakewood and Tacoma to Downtown Seattle on September 17, 1990.[12] The routes were later converted into Sound Transit Express routes, funded by the regional transit authority and operated by Pierce Transit, in 1999.[13] On June 14, 1993, the agency opened a major transit center on Commerce Street in Downtown Tacoma that would serve 1,300 buses on a typical weekday. Commerce Street Station includes a garage with layover space for 24 buses, an office, and plaza space; it cost $23.3 million to construct.[14] Pierce Transit began planning a regional transit center near the Tacoma Dome in the mid-1990s in anticipation of future commuter rail service.[15] The first phase of Tacoma Dome Station opened on October 25, 1997, for use by local and express buses.[16]Sounder commuter rail service to Tacoma began in 2000 and was followed by the opening of Tacoma Link, the state's first modern light rail service, in 2003.[17][18]
The passage of Initiative 695 in 1999 eliminated the use of motor vehicle excise tax, a funding source for local transit throughout the state, leading to service cuts at Pierce Transit despite it later being ruled unconstitutional by the Washington Supreme Court. In 2000, 14 percent of service was reduced and a fare increase was set to temporarily make up for revenue from the tax, which made up 38 percent of the agency's operating budget. Voters approved a 0.3 percent sales tax increase to fund transit service during a special election in February 2002,[19] preventing a planned cut in bus service of up to 45 percent, and up to 25 percent for paratransit.[20][21]
Funding crisis
In 2012, Pierce Transit argued that it was in an unsustainable state due to its reserves running out, and as a result, must cut service by 53% in order to become sustainable again. Pierce Transit argued that if taxes within its service area were increased by 0.3%, Pierce Transit would not have had to cut service, and instead could have improved service by 23%.[22] Opponents of the 0.3% tax increase in Pierce County (also known as Proposition 1) advertised a sales tax increase to 10.1% (the "highest on the West Coast"), but in reality that rate would have only applied to motor vehicles due to the state motor vehicle sales and use tax.[23] Most taxable goods and services would have been taxed at the rate of 9.8%.
Pierce Transit proposed a similar increase in sales tax in 2011, which was eventually rejected by the public.[24] Proposition 1, proposed in the 2012 general election, has also been rejected by the public.[25]
In May 2012, the cities of Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Orting, and Sumner withdrew from the boundaries of Pierce Transit's service area, which shrunk to 292 square miles (760 km2).[26]
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Pierce Transit laid off or furloughed 90 employees amid a projected revenue cut of $47 million due to low ridership and sales tax returns.[27]
Stream bus rapid transit
Pierce Transit plans to build a bus rapid transit system, named "Stream", on several existing corridors. The first line, the Community Line on Pacific Avenue between Tacoma and Spanaway, is planned to replace a 14.4-mile (23.2 km) section of Route 1.[28][29] The Pacific Avenue line was planned to have 32 total stations, including curb-side and median stations, and 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of dedicated bus lanes.[30] It was originally scheduled to begin construction in 2021 and open by 2024 at a cost of $95 million, with funds from Sound Transit 3 and the federal government.[28]
In August 2023, the board of commissioners voted to defer work on the bus rapid transit project due to its six-year delay and $150 million cost increase. In its place, Pierce Transit plans to improve Route 1 service on Pacific Avenue in 2024 with an "enhanced" express service that serves 14 stops and uses transit signal priority.[31] The service retains the "Stream Community Line" moniker and a 28-year naming rights sponsorship with health system MultiCare valued at $9.3 million. It began service on April 1, 2024.[32][33] The agency has also studied several four additional routes for future expansion of the Stream bus rapid transit system to serve Lakewood, South Tacoma, and Puyallup.[34]
Administration
Pierce Transit is operated by nine-member Board of Commissioners composed of elected officials throughout the county. The agency is led by the chief executive officer, who is appointed by the board. Since 2021, this position has been held by Mike Griffus.[35][36] A staff of approximately 1,000 man the five departments, with over 50% working in Transit Operations.[citation needed]
Police
Pierce Transit contracts with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department for police services. There are currently 16 patrol deputies assigned full-time to Pierce Transit. The command staff of Pierce Transit Police include two Supervising Sergeants and the Transit Police Chief(provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department - under contract). The Pierce Transit system is also patrolled by 17 specially commissioned Peace Officers (Public Safety Officers).[citation needed]
In 2008, 19 million people utilized its services. 272 wheelchair-accessible buses circulate between 3,300 bus stops, 626 bus shelters and 28 park-and-ride lots. Additionally, Pierce Transit runs 11 transit centers and stations. Pierce Transit also provides vanpool, ridematching and express transportation between counties. Disabled passengers who are not able to use Pierce Transit's buses have access to a special transportation system called SHUTTLE.[citation needed]
The agency launched an on-demand ride-hail service, named "Runner", in 2020 to serve the Ruston Way corridor.[37] It was expended to Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Spanaway/Parkland, and the Port of Tacoma in 2021.[38]
Fares
Service
Adult
Senior/Disabled
Local
$2
$1
Pierce Transit Local 24-Hour Pass
$5
$2.50
Pierce Transit Local Monthly Pass
$72
$36
All youth ride free
Passengers 19 to 64 pay adult fare unless they have a valid regional reduced fare permit.
In 1986, Pierce Transit began experimenting with compressed natural gas as a fuel source for its bus fleet by modifying two existing buses, becoming the first agency in the nation to do so.[40] As of 2018, 118 of the 249 buses in the agency's fleet run on compressed natural gas. Other models are diesel–electric hybrids or use electric batteries.[41]
^Malloy, Dick; Ott, John S. (1993). The Tacoma Public Utility Story: The First 100 Years, 1893–1993. Tacoma Public Utilities. OCLC29528435.
^ abPublic Transportation Office (October 1984). "Local Transit"(PDF). Public Transportation in Washington State (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 105–106. OCLC13007541. Retrieved September 10, 2016 – via National Transportation Library.
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