Whatcom Transportation Authority
 | |
| Commenced operation | January 1, 1984 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 4111 Bakerview Spur, BellinghamCoordinates: 48°47′12.5″N 122°26′56″W / 48.786806°N 122.44889°W |
| Locale | Whatcom County, Washington |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit, vanpool |
| Routes | 31 |
| Fleet | 60 buses, 38 paratransit vehicles, 38 vans |
| Annual ridership | 5,242,852 (2014)[1] |
| Website | ridewta.com |
The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) is the public transit authority of Whatcom County in northwestern Washington, based in the city of Bellingham. It provides bus service on 31 fixed routes, including branded "GO Lines" with 15-minute frequencies on weekdays, to cities in its service area. In addition to bus service, the WTA offers paratransit service and a vanpool programs.
The WTA is funded by a 0.6% sales tax within the Whatcom County public transportation benefit area (PTBA) and grants from the state and federal governments. Service began on January 1, 1984, using equipment bought from the Bellingham municipal transit system after a countywide authority was established a year earlier. The WTA carried 5 million total riders on fixed bus routes in 2014, averaging out to 17,000 weekday boardings.[1][2]
History
The Whatcom Transportation Authority was created in 1983 and service in western Whatcom County, including the cities of Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden, began on January 1, 1984. The city of Bellingham began operating its own municipal transit system in 1971 by taking over a failing private operator, funding it with a 0.3% sales tax within the city beginning in 1975. The system was absorbed into the new countywide public transportation benefit area, which adopted the same sales tax rate in 1983.[3]
Services
Bus routes
GO Lines
The "GO Lines" are four corridors where local service combines for 15-minute headways on weekdays and are branded with a specific color by the WTA beginning in 2005.[4]
- Blue Line (routes 105, 107, 108 and 190): Bellingham Station to Sehome Village, via Western Washington University
- Green Line (routes 232, 15): Bellingham Station to Cordata Station and Whatcom Community College
- Gold Line (route 331): Bellingham Station to Cordata Station and Whatcom Community College, via Bellis Fair Mall and Roosevelt
- Red Line (route 401): Bellingham Station to the Fairhaven Transportation Center via State Street and Fairhaven
A fifth GO Line, the Plum Line on Lakeview Drive, was added in 2008 and cut during service reductions in 2010.[5][6]
County Connector
WTA Route 80X, known as the County Connector, is an inter-county route operated by the WTA and Skagit Transit that makes 8 daily roundtrips on weekdays and 4 daily roundtrips on Saturdays between Bellingham Station and the Skagit Transportation Center in Mount Vernon, with intermediate stops at park and rides along Interstate 5. There is also a shuttle bus that connects Route 80X to Western Washington University with 2 weekday roundtrips.[7][8]
Fleet
The WTA operates a fleet of 60 full-size buses, 38 paratransit vehicles, and 38 vanpool vans.[9]
Current Bus Fleet
- As of December 31, 2013[9]
| Manufacturer and model |
Image | Year | Fleet Numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion V | 1995 | 840–842 | ||
| 1997 | 844–846 | |||
| Gillig Low Floor | 2004 | 864–866 | ||
| 2007 | 826–827 | |||
| 2007 | 851–855 | |||
| 2008 | 867–869 | |||
| 2009 | 856–859 | |||
| 2009 | 871–880 | |||
| 2010 | 809–719 | |||
| 2010 | 828–830 | |||
| 2010 | 881–886 | |||
| 2011 | 887–894 | |||
| 2012 | 801–808 | Diesel-electric hybrid bus |
References
- 1 2 2014 Service Performance Report (PDF) (Report). Whatcom Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Agency Description". Whatcom Transportation Authority. 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Local Transit Statewide". Public Transportation in Washington State (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. December 1988. pp. 102–105. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
- ↑ "The GO Lines". Whatcom Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ Paben, Jared (January 30, 2008). "Campus passes boost WTA bus ridership". Bellingham Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ↑ "WTA to Hold Public Hearing on REVISED Service Reduction Proposal". Whatcom Transportation Authority. May 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ↑ "County Connector". Whatcom Transportation Authority. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ "County Connectors". Skagit Transit. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- 1 2 "Appendix A: List of Rolling Stock, Facilities and Equipment". Whatcom Transportation Authority 2013 Report and Transit Development Plan 2014 – 2019 (PDF) (Report). Whatcom Transportation Authority. July 10, 2014. pp. 23–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.