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 A compressed natural gas bus operated by Pierce Transit at Federal Way Transit Center | |
| Founded | 1979, 45 years ago |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | January 1, 1980 |
| Headquarters | 3701 96th Street Southwest Lakewood, Washington |
| Locale | Pierce County, Washington |
| Service type | Bus, vanpool, paratransit |
| Routes | 29[1] |
| Fleet | 174 buses[1] |
| Daily ridership | 25,200 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 7,474,100 (2024)[3] |
| Fuel type | Diesel, Compressed natural gas, Diesel–electric hybrid, Battery electric[1] |
| Chief executive | Mike Griffus |
| Website | piercetransit |
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 2024, the system had a ridership of 7,474,100, or about 25,200 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
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.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[5] The takeover of Tacoma Transit was done on a temporary agreement while a final cost for the system was under negotiation.[7] 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".[8]
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.[9] 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.[10] These new routes competed with an existing private operator, who filed a lawsuit to halt Pierce Transit's expansion after negotiations broke down.[11] 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.[12]
The agency's original headquarters and bus base was on Sprague Avenue west of downtown Tacoma, which they inherited from Tacoma Transit and acquired outright from the city government in 1985.[13] Pierce Transit had already approved construction of a new headquarters facility and chose a site on South Tacoma Way in modern-day Lakewood after an earlier option in western Tacoma drew opposition from local residents.[14] Construction of the $14 million facility, which included four buildings on 20 acres (8.1 ha) with capacity for up to 200 buses, began in 1986 and was completed in late 1987.[15][16] Pierce Transit began operating direct express bus service from Lakewood and Tacoma to Downtown Seattle on September 17, 1990.[17] The routes were later converted into Sound Transit Express routes, funded by the regional transit authority and operated by Pierce Transit, in 1999.[18]
On June 14, 1993, Pierce Transit 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.[19] It was closed for several months during construction of Tacoma Link, a light rail line that would share the street, from 2002 to 2003.[20] Pierce Transit began planning a regional transit center near the Tacoma Dome in the mid-1990s in anticipation of future commuter rail service.[21] The first phase of Tacoma Dome Station opened on October 25, 1997, for use by local and express buses.[22] 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 August 2003.[23][24]
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,[25] preventing a planned cut in bus service of up to 45 percent, and up to 25 percent for paratransit.[26][27]
 | This section needs to be updated. (August 2025) |
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%.[28] 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.[29] 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.[30] Proposition 1, proposed in the 2012 general election, has also been rejected by the public.[31]
In May 2012, the cities of Bonney Lake, Buckley, DuPont, Orting, and Sumner withdrew from Pierce Transit's PTBA after their local bus routes had been cut.[32] The boundary change shrunk the agency's service area to 292 square miles (760 km2).[33]
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.[34]
Pierce Transit operates within a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) that covers 292 square miles (760 km2), including most populated areas of the county.[33] The PTBA had an estimated population of 608,522 residents in 2024.[35] The agency has a Board of Commissioners composed of nine elected officials from throughout the county and one non-voting member from a labor union.[1] The chief executive officer is appointed by the board; since 2021, this position has been held by Mike Griffus.[36] As of 2025[update], Pierce Transit has 981 total full-time employees, of which 68 percent are in service delivery and support and 483 are transit operators.[1][37] The agency has $200.8 million in operating revenue for 2025, of which 56 percent is derived from a 0.6 percent sales tax levied within the PTBA and 30 percent is provided through a contract with Sound Transit.[1]
The agency has a contract with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department to provide policing and emergency services onboard buses and at transit facilities. They are led by a chief, a sergeant patrol supervisor from the Sheriff's Department; the team also includes 17 peace officers that do not carry firearms and private security guards.[38] Pierce Transit's contract with the Sheriff's Department began in 2007 and was temporarily left unrenewed in 2021 due to staffing shortages and a public dispute over the use of thin blue line stickers on patrol cars.[39]
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As of 2025[update], Pierce Transit has 29 routes that cover its service area along with several ride-hailing and paratransit zones. There were 6.8 million total boardings on fixed-route buses in 2024, with a weekday average of 22,106.[37] The agency's vanpool fleet, known as "Rideshare", had 363,989 total boardings in 2024, while paratransit under the "SHUTTLE" brand comprised 308,021 total boardings.[37] Pierce Transit's on-demand ride-hailing service, named "Runner", carried 52,379 total passengers in 2024;[37] it launched in 2020 to serve the Ruston Way corridor.[40] It was expended to Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Spanaway/Parkland, and the Port of Tacoma in 2021.[41]
The one-way trip fare for Pierce Transit is $2 for adults, $1 for passengers eligible for discounted fares, and free for passengers under the age of 19 years old. The agency also offers a day pass that is $5 for adults and $2 at the discounted rate. The discounted fare applies to passengers over the age of 65 years old, have a Medicare card and regional reduced fare permit, or are enrolled in the ORCA Lift program for low-income households.[42] Pierce Transit accepts payment from cash, the Transit smartphone app, and the regional ORCA card system, which also allows for transfers between different operators.[42] The agency removed all fares for youth passengers (under the age of 19) in September 2022 as part of a statewide program funded by the Climate Commitment Act.[43] Pierce Transit previously offered a "summer pass" for youth passengers at a fixed rate for unlimited rides within the system from June to September.[44]
Stream is a bus rapid transit system that has been under development by Pierce Transit since 2018. The first corridor, the Community Line, follows a 14.4-mile (23.2 km) section of Route 1 on Pacific Avenue between Tacoma and Spanaway.[45][46] The Community Line began service on April 1, 2024, as a limited-stop variant of Route 1 from Tacoma Dome Station to Spanaway that only operates on weekdays. It uses 14 total stops, compared to 58 on Route 1, and runs every 20 minutes on weekdays.[47]
The Community Line was originally planned to have 32 total stations, including curb-side and median stations, and 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of dedicated bus lanes.[48] The project was 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.[45] 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 announced plans to improve Route 1 service on Pacific Avenue in 2024 with an "enhanced" express route that serves 14 stops and uses transit signal priority.[49] The service retains the "Stream Community Line" moniker and a 28-year naming rights sponsorship with health system MultiCare valued at $9.3 million.[47][50]
Pierce Transit has also studied several four additional routes for future expansion of the Stream bus rapid transit system to serve Lakewood, South Tacoma, and Puyallup.[51] The agency's long-range plan published in 2025 includes Stream lines on Route 2 and Route 3 that converge in Lakewood.[37]
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Pierce Transit serves a total of 1,973 bus stops, of which 95 percent are directly managed by the agency. These stops include 540 with bus shelters and 914 with benches.[1] Pierce Transit also has eight transit centers that function as local and regional hubs:[1]
As of 2025[update], the agency has 174 total fixed-route buses, 100 cutaway vans for paratransit, 272 rideshare vans, and 130 non-revenue vehicles. The majority of buses use compressed natural gas as its fuel source, while others are electric hybrids or use electric batteries.[1]
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.[52] By 2018, 118 of the 249 buses in the agency's fleet ran on compressed natural gas, while other models were primarily diesel–electric hybrids.[53] The first battery electric buses in the Pierce Transit fleet were three Proterra Catalyst E2s that debuted in October 2018 and were acquired with a $2.55 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.[54] The first charging station at a transit center is planned for Tacoma Community College and will be funded by a $14.8 million federal grant that was awarded in 2024.[55]
Mass transit in the Puget Sound region | |
|---|---|
| Local and express bus | |
| Light rail | |
| Streetcar |
|
| Commuter rail | |
| Bus rapid transit | |
| Ferry | |
| Monorail |
|
| People mover | |
| Historic | |
| Other | |
Italics denote lines or services which are planned, under construction, defunct, or otherwise not operating at the present time. | |
