As your local transit agency, Pierce Transit strives to provide our community with innovative solutions that meet your transportation needs. By keeping people moving, we have helped keep our economy moving, too.

In 2019, we partnered with about 330 employers to help them find efficient and cost-effective ways to get their employees to work. We partnered with schools to transport students to class and enrichment activities and created solutions that helped more people access transit. We tapped into new technologies, too, providing real-time bus arrival information and expanded mobile ticketing options. The employees at Pierce Transit take great pride in bringing you Pierce County’s option to the single-occupancy vehicle. We are always interested in your ideas to help further our goals in providing transportation solutions for today and the future.

In 2020, as we face the new realities of a global pandemic and the resulting loss of revenue, ridership and service, we are pivoting toward gradually restoring service levels and partnering in Washington’s economic recovery as people return to activities outside their homes.

Thank you for continued support for your local transit agency.

Be well,
Sue Dreier
Pierce Transit CEO

2013
Added hybrid-electric buses to the Pierce Transit fleet.

2018
Introduced the South Sound’s first all-electric, zero-emission buses, each replacing a retiring diesel bus.

2019
Building on these foundations, Pierce Transit partnered with Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) to introduce the South Sound’s first plug-in hybrid-electric Vanpool vans, powered by 97% carbon-free electricity. In the future, to expand this program to include other employers, including private companies.

Transit and technology go hand-in-hand, including these new customer tools implemented in 2019:

• Expanded mobile ticketing through PiercePayâ„  on the Hopthru app, including a new adult monthly pass, SHUTTLE tickets, and passes for Pierce College students.
• Challenges, prizes and discounts through the Miles app for Pierce Transit riders.
• Sixteen real-time arrival signs at 8 transit centers showing when the next bus will arrive.
• Dramatically more accurate real-time bus arrival information, thanks to new back-office, bus tracking technology.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a fast bus ride with many of the same features as light rail, but on wheels and at less cost. Pierce Transit is planning the South Sound’s first BRT line, running between downtown Tacoma and Spanaway where we already see more than 3,500 trips each weekday. In 2019, we sought public input into many aspects of the project, including station locations and where the bus will travel in the roadway along the route.

Learn more at RideBRT.com

Free rides for those in need
We sold tickets at 50% face value to qualifying human service agencies, which distributed them to clients to get to jobs, appointments and other locations.

Caring vans
Through our “Care-a-Van” program, we granted retiring vans to nine nonprofits to get people to jobs, after-school programs, medical appointments, housing and other services.

We’re there!
We met you at 96 community events and 79 community meetings, informing you about our services and answering questions.

Bus travel training
We provided help for people who wanted to learn how to ride.

A bus pass opens doors for students to get to class, access cultural enrichment opportunities and become independent travelers. In 2019 we:

• Partnered with Tacoma Public School and the City of Tacoma to provide all 7,900 Tacoma Public Schools high school students access to an ORCA fare card loaded with a local bus pass, good for unlimited rides.
• We also worked with colleges, universities and other learning institutions to help them provide transit passes to more than 12,300 students.

In 2019, we formed a new Community Development Department whose mission is helping local employers find more efficient ways to manage their employees’ commutes. We worked with about 330 employers, helping them arrange vanpools, purchase transit passes for their employees, educate employees and managers through on-site meetings, and provide incentives to encourage smart commutes.

WE KEEP YOU SAFE

20,000 training hours for new bus drivers 45 drivers recognized for 1 million+ accident-free miles 36 dedicated Public Safety staff

KEEP YOU INFORMED

3.3 million page views on PierceTransit.org

1,807 customer comments followed up on

37,800 Customer Service Center calls answered

KEEP YOU CONNECTED

305 special events, such as the Washington State Fair service

8,200 Lyft partnership rides connecting you to transit

127 employees assisting with 96 outreach events

WHILE PLANNING FOR YOUR FUTURE

71 informational meetings with elected officials