By Joyce Olson

Pulling together for the public good is an American tradition. Over the years citizens have cooperated to create libraries, schools, parks and – tying them all together – public transportation.

Community Transit and the people of Snohomish County have benefited from that can-do spirit for more than 25 years. Our agency was formed by a public vote in 1975. In 1999 we had a record 8.6 million passengers – about 25,000 riders a day. Unfortunately, that was also the year that the state cut all transit funding, and Community Transit lost almost 30 percent of its budget.

Snohomish County residents pulled together once again for public transportation in the fall of 2001 when they voted to replace that lost state funding by approving a small local sales tax increase. Restored and improved service is what we promised our riders, and responsible spending on transportation options is what we promised our taxpayers. On Feb. 2 – and every other day this year – we’ll be keeping those promises.

We began restoring and enhancing bus service last year, as soon as local voters gave us the green light. We’ll add a total of 15 percent more local service in 2003, most starting Feb. 2. We’ll have more frequent buses, earlier and later service, expanded routes, fewer transfers and more direct trips to popular destinations.

The benefits for our existing bus riders will be significant. One woman who used to take two buses and two hours to commute from Smokey Point to Lynnwood for work will now be able to take one bus in half the time. Edmonds Community College, where 30 percent of the students use an “Ed Pass” for transit, will have direct service to the campus from every nearby community. Buses in Marysville, Lynnwood and much of south county will come twice as often – every 15 to 20 minutes on weekdays.

Half of Community Transit’s local bus routes will have major changes – right down to new route numbers. Community Transit staff have been working hard to inform the public about the changes – we’ve printed schedules early, been out at the park and rides, gotten on board the buses and run ads on TV, radio and in newspapers.

In addition to improving service within Community Transit’s service area, we are realigning our routes within the city of Everett, which has its own transit agency. For 25 years, Community Transit has provided subsidized service within Everett, where two-thirds of our riders are Everett residents. Community Transit decided to reduce bus service within Everett and redirect the $1 million in annual savings to provide more service within our transit district. Community Transit will continue to provide commuter service to downtown Everett. We will also have 215 trips a day through Everett Station, where passengers may transfer to Everett and Sound Transit buses as well as Amtrak and Greyhound services. We are working closely with Everett Transit to coordinate buses and provide convenient transfers.

The end result of this year of change will be a better bus system for Snohomish County overall. Our new service responds to the demands of our taxpayers for an efficient, well-managed transit agency. We are also serving the needs of our riders and the public.

We all benefit from having convenient, reliable public transportation. Cars break down, visitors come into town, and pre-teens like to get out of the house. Buses are not only a back-up form of transportation for everyone, they also reduce congestion on our roads. Without Community Transit’s Seattle commuter buses, Interstate 5 would need to be widened by two lanes in each direction to handle peak hour traffic.

Bringing people together – to share a ride – is what public transportation is all about. I’m grateful that the people of Snohomish County have given us the responsibility and the opportunity to do just that.

Joyce Olson in the CEO of Community Transit. For more information on the agency’s services, visit www.communitytransit.org or call 425-353-RIDE.