I am Sue Dreier, CEO of Pierce Transit. It is my pleasure to be part of a team of professionals serving our community and helping make Pierce County a vibrant and livable area.
Pierce Transit’s mission is to improve people’s quality of life by providing safe, reliable, innovative and useful transportation services that are locally based and regionally connected. Last year we provided 9.8 million rides to people in our service area, getting them to jobs, shopping, medical appointments, social events and much more. We offer bus, vanpool and paratransit SHUTTLE services, as well as innovative, tailored programs that connect people to transit. We also help local employers implement efficient and cost-effective transportation plans.
If you have questions about our service or wish to provide us with feedback, I invite you to click here for more information or to send us your thoughts.
Moving Forward - Update from Pierce Transit CEO Sue Dreier
Pierce Transit improves people’s quality of life by providing safe, reliable, innovative and useful transportation services that are locally based and regionally connected.
A Brief History
Founded in 1979, Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (Pierce Transit) is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry. Pierce Transit covers 292 square miles of Pierce County with roughly 70% of the county population. Serving Washington’s second largest county, Pierce Transit provides three types of service, Fixed Route, SHUTTLE paratransit and Vanpools that help get passengers to jobs, schools and appointments.
A Board Guides Our Actions
Pierce Transit is governed by a ten-member Board of Commissioners. The Board is made up of elected officials representing thirteen jurisdictions, Pierce County and one non-voting Union Representative. Learn more here
Executive Finance Committee (EFC)
The Executive - Finance Committee (EFC) is comprised of four members of the Board of Commissioners. The Committee serves as a sounding board to the Agency on various policy matters and approves contracts up to its allowed authority established by the Board of Commissioners. Learn more here
CTAG
The Pierce Transit Community Transportation Advisory Group (CTAG) is a nine-member advisory group that provides input to the Board of Commissioners. It was chartered to offer an opportunity for community stakeholders to provide feedback and suggest improvements and recommendations on plans, policies, and services offered by Pierce Transit. Learn more here.
One of the best ways to ensure an organization is constantly improving is to track “Key Performance Indicators,” or KPIs. KPIs are a set of quantifiable measures that an organization uses to gauge its performance and determine if it is meeting its strategic and operational goals. Pierce Transit is very much focused on using KPIs to help us know whether we are moving toward attaining our goals and, if not, where to focus our attention.
By using KPIs to track our progress, we are able to make data-driven decisions that better serve our customers and the people of Pierce County who fund the services we provide.
Pierce Transit regularly surveys our customers to determine their level of satisfaction with our services and gather feedback that helps us improve. We were pleased with the most recent survey results that showed a high level of satisfaction with our major services.
RIDERSHIP: In 2017, following a year-long public planning process, Pierce Transit implemented a more efficient bus routing system and added 35,000 hours of service, resulting in more frequent bus service, later weekday service and more direct routes with faster trips between locations. The agency is also making it more convenient for people to ride through innovative programs, such as a pilot program with Lyft to bring people to transit locations. As a result of these enhancements, the number of people riding Pierce Transit buses in 2018 rose over 2017. Vanpool ridership declined slightly, while SHUTTLE paratransit trips reduced more significantly.
ON TIME PERFORMANCE: Many factors impact a transit agency’s on-time performance, including traffic congestion, accidents and weather. Pierce Transit’s current goal is to be on time at least 85 percent of the time, while constantly searching out improvements we can make in scheduling, maintenance and other areas that will help us move this number even higher.
CUSTOMER COMMENTS:In 2018, Pierce Transit provided 9.8 million rides to our customers. Our goal is to have just two complaints per 10,000 riders. When we do receive complaints, we track them closely and follow up to make improvements. We also receive many compliments for our operators and service; in fact, 28 percent of the feedback we received last year was helpful or complimentary.
PREVENTABLE ACCIDENTS: Over the past two years Pierce Transit has made a number of major strides in this area, implementing several programs to reduce preventable accidents. For example, we put an innovative system in place to provide tailored driver coaching and have implemented quarterly agency-wide safety meetings. As a result of these efforts and many others, the number of preventable accidents in 2018 was down by 24 percent over 2017. Our goal is not just to look at safety through the lens of numbers, but to cultivate a safety culture at our Pierce Transit.
MILES BETWEEN ROAD FAILURES: This is a very important performance indicator for Pierce Transit, as it directly impacts our customers. Over the past couple years, we have been focusing intently on moving the needle in this area through careful examination of why these failures are occurring and focusing on making improvements in those areas. That work is paying off, with the number of miles between failures increasing every month in 2018 over 2017, in some cases almost doubling. This positive trend is continuing into 2019.
CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONSE TIMES: This chart indicates how long a caller must wait on hold, on average, when calling Pierce Transit’s Customer Services office. Our goal is to keep people on hold an average of just 35 seconds. While we are currently above that goal, we are working to reduce it through initiatives.
Monthly Bus Ridership Riding the bus is more affordable, safer and better for the environment than driving a car. To help you get on board, Pierce Transit is always looking for ways to make your bus ride better - from increasing our on-time performance, to adding conveniences like WiFi, to increasing our public safety presence. We carefully monitor our ridership figures and analyze a wide range of data to help us provide a better experience and encourage people to get on board.
Agency Personnel Ratio At Pierce Transit, we understand the importance of keeping the percentage of our administrative positions lower and focusing the largest majority of agency jobs on our service. That is why the largest percentage, by far, of our agency’s jobs are ones such as bus operators, mechanics, trainers and other positions that are directly tied to the transportation services we provide our customers.
To create a trip plan you need to enter both a starting location (origin) and an ending location (destination). For information about stops, schedules, or service at a specific location, you only need to enter one location.
The Trip Planner recognizes most street intersections and addresses as well as many landmarks in Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties. If what you entered is not immediately recognized, the Trip Planner will offer you a list of options. You can choose one of the options, but if your intended location is not there, select the "Revise Original Entries" link to return to the entry page and change the entries you have already made.
Addresses
You don't need to type in the city along with the address. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type 110 Jones instead of 110 Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 1000 Main instead of 1000 S Main. But type 1000 West Viewmont for 1000 West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets and addresses are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby location, such as an intersection or a landmark.
You should not enter the suite number or apartment number. Just the house number and street name (Example: type in 401 Broadway instead of 401 Broadway Avenue Suite 800).
Intersections
The "&" symbol is the only character used between two street names to show an intersection. (Examples: 1st & B, James & Madison)
You don't need to type in the city. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type Conifer & Jones instead of Conifer Circle & Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 3rd & Main instead of 3rd S & S Main. But type 34th & West Viewmont for 34th W & West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby intersection or a landmark.
Landmarks
Government Sites: Pierce County Health Dept, Pierce Co Sheriffs Office, Tacoma City Hall
Major Commercial Sites: Tacoma Mall, Sheraton Hotel
Transportation Facilities: Sea-Tac Airport, Greyhound Bus Depot
Schools & Colleges: Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Community College
Sports & Leisure: Cheney Stadium, Pt Defiance Zoo
Medical Facilities: Group Health, Tacoma General Hospital
