Pierce Transit riders need to be prepared for significant service changes beginning Sun., Oct. 2, when bus service undergoes considerable changes throughout the county. Weekday and weekend service will be reduced, segments of some routes will be cut, and in some cases entire routes will be eliminated.
This week, yellow bags began covering signs at the bus stops that will be closing. Transit riders can continue to use these stops through Sat., Oct. 1. Approximately 600 bus stops, including 35 with shelters, will be closed on Oct. 2. Following that, Pierce Transit Facilities Maintenance crews will begin physically removing the bus stops, including the sign pole, shelter structure, or bench that may be at the site. The process is scheduled to be completed by the end of November.
This overall 35 per cent reduction is necessary due to a $51 million budget shortfall brought on by the economic recession and the loss of Proposition 1 at the February 2011 election, according to Pierce Transit spokesperson Jessyn Farrell. Given the current economic projections, a 20 per cent permanent service reduction went into effect on June 12, with the final 15 per cent service reduction effective Oct. 2.
Riders can get route-by-route information about the service changes after Sept. 20 on Pierce Transit’s Web site — http://www.piercetransit.org — or by calling Customer Service at (253) 581-8000. The Pierce Transit route and schedule booklets and Rider Alerts will also be available after Sept. 20 on-board buses, at Bus Shops, and the normal distributions sites.
Pierce Transit will eliminate the following 16 bus routes in October.
East Pierce County / Bonney Lake/ Sumner/ Buckley
— Route 406 Buckley
— Route 407 Prairie Ridge
— Route 408 Sumner-Bonney lake
— Orting Loop
Puyallup
— Route 490 South Hill-Tacoma (NEW Route 400 provides this connection)
— Route 446 Canyon Rd South Hill Bus PLUS
— Route 413 Wildwood
Tacoma
— Route 26 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
— Route 59 Manitou
— Route 60 Port of Tacoma (June 12 reduction)
— Route 61 NE Tacoma (modified route)
— Route 207 Fort Lewis (June 12 reduction)
— Route 220 Orchard Street (segments from Route 220 merged with Route 51)
— Route 603A Tacoma-Olympia
Gig Harbor / Peninsula
— Route 113 Key Peninsula Bus PLUS
— Route 601 Kimball-Olympia
Parkland / Spanaway
— Route 444 Parkland-Spanaway Bus PLUS
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Pierce Transit board approves service reduction plan (06/14/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1991345&more=0
Pierce Transit service reductions begin June 12 (06/06/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1987129&more=0
Pierce Transit to further study service reduction plans (05/10/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1972575&more=0
Pierce Transit service reductions begin early (05/29/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1949034&more=0
Pierce Transit: 35% service reduction by October (03/01/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1933870&more=0
Tacoma City Council vote supports Pierce Transit, Prop. 1 (01/27/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1915221&more=0
Pierce Transit open houses focus on Prop. 1 (01/06/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1903796&more=0
Management layoffs, program reductions trim another $1.2M from Pierce Transit budget (08/26/10) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1828497&more=0
