ruralTRANSIT is replacing three of the six buses that make up its fleet providing fare-free public transit in South Thurston County and part of Lewis County.
The buses came to ruralTRANSIT through the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Grant Program.
A grant award of $285,000 covered the cost of three new buses because they were sold at a discounted price, according to a Thurston Regional Planning Council news release.
The new buses were purchased from NW Bus Sales and all will be in service by the end of the month, according to the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
Partnering with Around the Sound, which owns the buses and provides the drivers, the Thurston Regional Planning Council has been administrating ruralTransit for more than 20 years.
ruralTRANSIT provides fare-free transportation six-days a week in Tumwater, Yelm, Rainier, Tenino, Bucoda, Rochester, the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and Centralia.
ruralTRANSIT also connects to Intercity Transit in Tumwater and Lewis County Transit in Centralia.
Around the Sound partnered with a non-profit organization to apply for the funding for the new buses.
“The fare-free service that ruralTRANSIT provides is crucial for getting rural residents where they need to go,” said Amy Hatch-Winecka, Senior Planner at the Thurston Regional Planning Council. “This service is entirely grant-funded, and we are grateful that funding was awarded for three new buses.”
All three new buses are 23 feet long and can seat a total of 14 people, including seats for 12 individuals and space for two wheelchairs.
All ruralTRANSIT buses remain accessible for people using mobility devices.
The new buses, like the current ones, also have bike racks and run on a combination of gasoline and propane.
The new buses will feature an updated and more colorful design, with new digital signage on the front of and inside each bus to more-clearly communicate the bus’s destination to riders, according to the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
“We are so excited to have three new buses in ruralTRANSIT’s fleet,” said Sara Porter, Assistant Planner at Thurston Regional Planning Council. “Their modernized features help to ensure we can continue providing rT service now and in the future.”
Additional buses will be needed in the future to replace the rest of ruralTRANSIT’s aging fleet, according to the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
The planning council said it is supporting Around the Sound as it explores options for procuring additional vehicles.
Mileage on the buses currently in ruralTRANSIT’s fleet ranges from 300,000 miles to 400,000 miles, according to the Thurston Regional Planning Council.
For more information on ruralTRANSIT, including route maps and schedules, visit https://www.trpc.org/325/Rural-Transit
Those who have never used ruralTRANSIT before, or who have questions about anything related to ruralTRANSit, are encouraged to call the customer service line at 253-472-7846.
Customer service is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
