Further cuts to Gig Harbor bus service; Route 100 will go on Sunday schedule

Pierce Transit’s main bus route in the Gig Harbor peninsula, Route 100, will go on Sunday schedule throughout the week beginning Monday, April 6, the transit system has announced.

The change will reduce daily trips between Gig Harbor and Tacoma from 14 to seven.

Pierce Transit has been forced to reduce all bus schedules because of declining ridership during the coronavirus shutdown, said transit spokesperson Rebecca Japhet. Ridership is down 64 percent from March of 2019, she said.

Route 100 begins at the Tacoma Community College transit center and ends at the Purdy Park-and-Ride lot, with stops at Pt. Fosdick Dr. NW and 45th St. Ct. NW, the Kimball Drive Park-and-Ride Lot, and Borgen Boulevard and 51st Ave. NW.

Normally, there are 14 round trips daily, beginning at 6:45 a.m. at TCC and ending at 8:33 p.m. at Purdy. Beginning Monday, April 6, until further notice, there will be only seven trips, beginning at 9:45 a.m. and ending at 5:33 p.m.

The Route 102 Gig Harbor-Tacoma express will remain canceled.

The Pierce Transit web site will be updated Sunday, April 5, to reflect the new schedule. The site for Route 100 is here: https://www.piercetransit.org/route-100-gig-harbor

Riders can also find out when the next bus is due by texting (253) 533-7084 and entering the bus stop number found on the pole.

Bus fares have been eliminated for now, and riders are asked to board using the back doors to protect the health of drivers.

The change to the Gig Harbor route is part of a widespread cutback of service throughout the Pierce Transit system during the emergency. Most ordinary Tacoma routes will go on Sunday schedules.

Besides Route 102, others being canceled entirely include Route 13, serving North Tacoma; Route 63, the Northeast Tacoma express; Route 425 to Puyallup; Route 497, the Lakeland Hills express, and the JBLM Connector.