Need a ride to the Port of Tacoma? Pierce Transit might have just the thing soon
If you rely on the bus and want to get to the Port of Tacoma, you need to find another way to get there.
At least for now.
The state Department of Transportation recently granted Pierce Transit $568,000 in Regional Mobility Grants here for the 2021-23 biennium to implement on-demand service to the Tacoma Tideflats, according to a news release from Pierce Transit.
The transit agency could potentially receive another $568,000 in the 2023-25 biennium, according to the release.
Rebecca Japhet, communications manager for Pierce Transit, said the on-demand project would incorporate vans instead of buses. The service would be similar to Uber or Lyft.
“The real goal is to connect people with transit,” Japhet said. “What you might be able to do is go to Tacoma Dome station, take the bus there, and then get the ride through this service to your job down in the Tideflats.”
Implementing a fixed bus route to the Tideflats would cost more than the on-demand project, Japhet said.
The transit agency will have access to the funds later this summer, but before then, it must plan and work through the details of the project.
“We have some work to do before we can get it up and running,” Japhet said. “We don’t have a specific timeline yet, but that’s the work that will occur over the next few months … before we actually put the vehicles on the road.”
Don Chartock, deputy director for WSDOT’s Public Transportation Division, said implementing an on-demand service is a good way to determine if having a fixed bus route network should be considered.
“It’s a lot better to use the smaller vehicles and start to test how big the demand is,” Chartock said.
The project is similar to the “Runner” service the transit agency already offers, Japhet said. The Runner, which is not operating at this time due to COVID-19, is an on-demand service that takes people to and from the Ruston Way area.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
