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RiverCities Transit (Washington)

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Not to be confused with River Cities Public Transit in Pierre, South Dakota.
RiverCities Transit
Commenced operation1975 (1975)[1]
LocaleCowlitz County, Washington
Service typeBus service
Routes7
Fuel typeDiesel
OperatorCowlitz Transit Authority
Websiterctransit.org

RiverCities Transit is a public transit system serving the cities of Longview and Kelso in Cowlitz County, Washington.

History

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A bus in Longview

The City of Longview began operating public transit service on June 16, 1975, following the temporary suspension of service provided by the privately-run Longview–Kelso Bus Company. The city government initially ran a single route through Longview and Kelso with seven daily trips; the Kelso city government also subsidized some costs for the trial until federal grants were obtained.[2][3] The bus company sold its operations and equipment to the Longview city government in September.[4]

Longview and Kelso partnered with the Cowlitz County government to organize a public transportation benefit area in 1987, and a 0.1 percent sales tax to fund the bus system was approved by 77.3 percent of voters on September 15, 1987.[5][6]: 21  The existing service, then named the "Community Urban Bus Service" (CUBS), was transferred to the Cowlitz Transit Authority on January 1, 1988.[6]: 43  In 2008, CUBS put a 0.2 percent sales tax increase up for public vote, seeking $2 million in additional annual revenue to continue running service and expanding frequency and hours of operation.[7] The increase was approved by voters, bringing the total sales tax to 0.3 percent.

The Cowlitz Transit Authority adopted a 10-year "Transit Enhancement Plan" in 2010, proposing a re-branded system with more frequent service and newer buses.[8] In 2011, CUBS began exploring a re-brand, complete with a new name, using an online poll.[9] "RiverCities Transit" was announced as the winner later that month,[10] and a new blue-and-gray color scheme was adopted for the system's bus fleet the following year.[11] A new route system, focusing on corridors where buses run every 30 to 60 minutes, debuted in August 2013;[12] an express route between Longview and Kelso debuted earlier that year in April, reducing travel times.[13]

RiverCities Transit opened the new Downtown Transit Center in Longview in 2020. It includes administrative offices for the agency and training facilities for drivers.[14]

Services

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Bus routes

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As of October 2015[15]
Route Inbound
terminus 		Outbound
terminus 		Via Frequency Saturday
service 		Notes
31 Longview Transit Center 32nd Avenue & Maryland Western Longview 60 minutes
30 minutes (peak) 		Yes
32 Longview Transit Center 30th Avenue & Larch Downtown Longview 60 minutes
30 minutes (peak) 		Yes
33 Longview Transit Center Heron Pointe Lower Columbia College 60 minutes Yes
44 Heron Pointe Three Rivers Mall Ocean Beach Highway, Longview 60 minutes No Express service along Ocean Beach Highway
45 Longview Transit Center Three Rivers Mall Downtown Longview, Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center 30 minutes Yes "Circulator" loop
56 Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center Three Rivers Mall Kelso 60 minutes No
(Use route 57) 		Runs in the opposite direction as route 57[16]
57 Kelso Multimodal Transportation Center Three Rivers Mall Kelso 60 minutes Yes Runs in the opposite direction as route 56

Fleet

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As of March 2014[1]: 20 
Year Manufacturer Model Fleet
Numbers 		Qty. Capacity Fuel Type Notes
1998 Gillig Phantom 30' 42-29 1 29 Diesel
2002 Gillig Phantom 35' 42-01–42-04 4 35 Diesel
2003 Gillig Phantom 35' 42-05–42-06 2 35 Diesel
2009 Gillig Low Floor 35' 42-07 1 32 Diesel
2011 Gillig Low Floor HEV 35' 42-09 1 32 Diesel-electric hybrid
2013 Gillig BRT 35' 42-10–42-13 4 32 Diesel

References

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  1. ^ a b 2013 Annual Report and 2014-2019 Transit Development Plan (PDF) (Report). RiverCities Transit. August 13, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Kaiser, Fran (June 14, 1975). "City bus starts Monday through Longview-Kelso". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. p. 1. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Kaiser, Fran (June 17, 1975). "Kelso to help Longview with costs of operating emergency bus service". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. p. 7. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Kaiser, Fran (September 20, 1975). "Bus company sells out to city". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. p. 1. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Brunner, Dell. "Buses keep rolling as transit tax coasts to easy win". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. p. A1. Retrieved November 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Planning, Research and Public Transportation Division (December 1988). Public Transportation in Washington State, 1988 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  7. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (October 22, 2008). "Election primer: CUBS eyes expansion, seeks sales tax increase". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  8. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (November 27, 2010). "CUBS officials release roadmap for future service". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (December 8, 2011). "Bus service seeks public's opinion on new name and logo". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  10. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (December 29, 2011). "New bus service name chosen in decisive vote". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (November 11, 2012). "RiverCities Transit buses getting facelift". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  12. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (August 1, 2013). "RiverCities Transit set to begin revamped route system". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  13. ^ Fischer, Amy M.E. (April 11, 2013). "RiverCities Transit to begin express route from West Longview to Kelso". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  14. ^ "New $4 million Longview bus depot opens Wednesday". The Daily News. Longview, Washington. January 28, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "System Map". RiverCities Transit. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "Route 56/57". RiverCities Transit. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
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