In a couple years, people who live and work along the county’s Highway 99 corridor will have a new way to get around – a new, subway-like bus system from Community Transit.

The new service, confidently named Swift, is slated to start running sometime in 2009. CT is getting an early start on getting the public thinking about it, an effort to ensure there will be plenty of riders from the start.

We applaud CT for introducing the region to a new way to curb congestion by making transit a more attractive option.

The agency is holding public meetings in Everett and Edmonds this month to give residents a chance to see the plans for the project – including designs of the buses and stations – and to ask questions.

The Swift bus service will travel from Everett Station to the Aurora Village Transit Center, with 26 stations along the way – 13 in each direction. CT hopes to locate the stations close to existing bus stops, which would make transferring between routes easier.

Buses will reach each station about every 10 minutes and will run 20 hours a day, from early morning through late evening. Global positioning systems will keep each bus connected to a station reader board so riders will know exactly how soon the next bus will arrive.

Getting businesses to back the project, whether by subsidizing employee fares or other means, is a critical step to getting people excited about the new service. If people use the Swift service on a regular basis, that could boost its expansion and ease even more commutes.

CT is also looking to rework its contract with Clear Channel to keep the Swift buses free of advertisements, which it hopes will make people more open to riding the bus.

Dedicated Swift lanes – cars can only use them to make right-hand turns into businesses or at intersections – will also improve the commute time of riders, allowing the bus to leave the station without having to merge into traffic. Passengers can board and exit the bus through any of three doors, and they’ll pay their fare before boarding – either with a pass or a ticket bought at the station – speeding the loading process.

If the high gas prices and congestion aren’t enough to make drivers rethink their long, solitary commutes, perhaps the speed and frequency of CT’s Swift service will.

For more about Swift, including a schedule of informational meetings, visit www.communitytransit.org and click on the Swift logo.