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General Information
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Bikes on Buses
Bike Lockers
Bike to Your Train
Crime tip line

Holiday Schedules
How to Ride the Bus
How to Read a Timetable
Lost and Found
Night Stop
Phone Numbers
Privacy Policy
Rules of the Road

Where to Get More Information (Bus Shops)

Holidays

SUNDAY routes and schedules apply on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, on both Pierce Transit and Sound Transit service.

REGULAR WEEKDAY routes and schedules apply on all other holidays (including Presidents Day, which, prior to this year, ran on a Saturday schedule).

FREE local Pierce Transit service on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

INTERCITY TRANSIT, based in Thurston County, operates Olympia Express jointly with Pierce Transit on weekdays and provides all Olympia Express service on weekends. Their holiday service is as follows:

  • Regular weekday schedule on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, and Veterans Day.
  • Sunday schedule on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
  • No service on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas Day. Service ends early on Christmas Eve.

How to Ride the Bus

1 Look for your neighborhood bus stop. Its numbers tell you which bus routes stops there. Many stops have schedules posted. Not all bus stops are wheelchair accessible. Call 253.581.8000 to find out if a stop is accessible. If not, a Customer Service Representative will find the nearest one for you.

2 Find your route. Each route consists of a map and a timetable. The map shows the streets your bus travels. The timetable lists major bus stops to help you estimate when the bus will be at your stop.

3 Please have exact cash fare, bus fare or transfer ready. Bus drivers carry no change. Read about fares and passes.

4 Need more than one bus to get to your destination? Ask your driver for a transfer WHEN YOU PAY YOUR FARE. Your transfer is good for an hour after the time your bus reaches the end of its route (check your schedule to see when that is).

5 Ask your driver for the stop closest to your destination. When you're a block away, pull the overhead bell cord. The driver will let you off at the next stop.

6 If there's a place you don't know how to reach by bus, try our on-line trip planner, or call 253.581.8000. A Customer Service Representative will be happy to help you plan your trip.

Bikes on Buses

BicyclistBring your bike along for the ride on any bus for a unique transit experience.

All Pierce Transit and Sound Transit buses have racks that hold bikes. Use of them is at the risk of the cyclist. On Pierce Transit local service, when bike racks are full it is up to the driver whether a bike may be brought onboard. It depends on passenger loads and the effect on the safety of passengers. For details about bikes on Sound Transit buses or trains pick up a copy of ST’s Get Ready to Ride transit guide, or visit the bike section of Sound Transit's website.

Cyclists are responsible for handling and assuring the security of their bikes, and must hold them throughout their trip. Your transit operator has the authority to ask you to take your bicycle off the bus should the bus become too crowded.

Bikes & Bus Stops

Please don’t lock your bike to a bus stop post. Bus operators use the posts to know where to stop. A locked bike can interfere with boarding and deboarding of passengers.

Bike Lockers

Bike lockers are a great way to keep your bike safe and secure if you decide to leave it behind when you catch the bus! For a $25 deposit and $10 per month rental fee, you can be sure your faithful friend will be there to greet you on your return, unaffected by rain, snow – or worse. Call 253.581.8000 for details.

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Night Stop

After 9:00 pm, you may ask your transit operator to let you off at any point along your bus route, even if its not a regular bus stop. Just let the operator know at least a block ahead of where you want to get off. The operator will decide whether the stop you asked for can be made safely. Depending on weather, street and traffic conditions, you might be offered an alternate stop location. Night Stop is for local service only. Operators can pick you up only at regular Pierce Transit bus stops.

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Where to Get More Information

In addition to the sites listed below, printed information about Pierce Transit and its services are available at Pierce County libraries, Tacoma libraries, local Chambers of Commerce, 7-11 Stores, Fred Meyer, Saar's Marketplace Stores, and most Key Banks.

[Bus Shop Map]The Bus Shop Downtown is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays at 930 Commerce Street in downtown Tacoma. 253.581.8149 or 1.800.562.8109 (toll-free within western Washington State only). Link light rail lost & found is located here.

Bus Lost & Found is located here. Inquiries about lost items should be made after 1:00 pm the day after the item was lost. Please call ahead before picking up items: 253.581.8149 or 253.581.8000.

Phone information hours are 6:30 am - 6:00 pm Weekdays; 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturdays. Hours vary on holidays.

[Bus Shop Tacoma Dome Station Map]

The Bus Shop Tacoma Dome Station is open 6:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays at 505 East 25th Street, Tacoma. Photo ID's (for Regional Reduced Fare Permits, etc.) are available here. Link Light Rail lost and found is also located here.

Phone information hours are 6:30 am - 6:00 pm Weekdays; 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturdays. Hours vary on holidays.

New Bus Shop mapThe Bus Shop Lakewood occupies the downstairs lobby of Pierce Transit's Building 5, also known as the Training Center, 3720 96th St SW, Lakewood.

Customer Service hours are 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Weekdays; 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Saturdays.

Phone information hours are 6:30 am - 6:00 pm Weekdays; 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturdays. Hours vary on holidays.

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PHONE INFORMATION: 253.581.8000

Phone Information Hours:
Monday through Friday, 6:30 am to 6:00 pm
Saturdays, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. No Sunday service.
Hours vary on holidays.
Toll-free (within western Washington State only): 1.800.562.8109

Bus Information TDD for the hearing-impaired: 711

HOTLINE 24-hour pre-recorded information: 253.984.8155

SHUTTLE reservations: 253.581.8100   
SHUTTLE TDD for the hearing impaired: 711
(SHUTTLE phone services available 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 7 days a week)

Public Safety Crime Tip Line: 253.581.8040
This is a recorded message line only. If you have information regarding a transit-related crime, please leave your information after the tone. If you want to be contacted, please leave your name and phone number. Your call will be returned by Transit Public Safety. You may also send any tip via email to Public Safety at Pierce Transit.

Privacy Policy

Pierce Transit respects your privacy. We collect personal data online only if you buy from us online, subscribe to our email subscription service or apply for a job online. We use this information only for fulfilling your requests. We do not lease, sell or otherwise release your personal information to outside companies for marketing purposes. Pierce Transit contractors may collect personal data in order to provide contracted services. These contractors are bound by Pierce Transit's privacy policy.

If you do not supply personal information for one of the purposes listed above, we make no attempt to identify you individually. Rather, we track only aggregate usage data to help us improve site content and organization.

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Page updated 01/14/2010

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