Annual ridership 5,242,852 (2014) Date of operation 1 January 1984 Routes 31 | Website ridewta.com Fleet 60 | |
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Commenced operation January 1, 1984 (1984-01-01) Service types Transit bus, Paratransit, Vanpool Profiles | ||
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.
Contents
- Taking a ride on whatcom transportation authority wta route 50
- Wta tests an all electric bus
- History
- GO Lines
- County Connector
- Fleet
- Current Bus Fleet
- References
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.
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.
Fleet
The WTA operates a fleet of 60 full-size buses, 38 paratransit vehicles, and 38 vanpool vans.