Whatcom Transportation Authority

Updated on Dec 06, 2023

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Annual ridership 5,242,852 (2014) Date of operation 1 January 1984 Routes 31		Website ridewta.com Fleet 60

Commenced operation January 1, 1984 (1984-01-01) Headquarters 4111 Bakerview Spur, Bellingham Locale Whatcom County, Washington Service types Transit bus, Paratransit, Vanpool Profiles Facebook

Taking a ride on whatcom transportation authority wta route 50

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.

Wta tests an all electric bus

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.

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.

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.

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.