The MT Position

Posted by Mark Foss

What do you get when you combine bus rapid transit, Amtrak, Sound Transit commuter rail, five public transit agencies, Greyhound, taxis and a park-and-ride in one place? Let me tell you what I discovered.

It’s vacation time. I’m staying home this year — sort of. When I’m not working on home projects, I’m doing a little “transit watching.” Bus rapid transit (BRT) is of particular interest to me right now because King County Metro will begin its Rapid Ride service on the “A Line” on October 2.

This week I drove the 41 miles from my home to the Aurora Village Transit Center (AVTC) on the north end of King County’s transit service area. AVTC is also the southern terminal for Community Transit’s new “Swift” BRT service. The terminal station is attractively designed, clean, with fare vending machines and smart card swipe pads. Passengers pay prior to boarding and enter one of three doors that are opened at each of 14 stations. Two speed boarding bike racks are located inside the coach near the third door — in the back.

During the week, Swift operates every 10 minutes along a 17-mile corridor, with an advertised 10 miles of transit signal priority. Apparently, there are some technical difficulties with the signal priority at present. It wasn’t in use when I rode the service. I rode during the middle of the day without rush hour traffic or heavy passenger loads. The traffic signals appeared to be timed well. Swift stations are spaced one to two miles apart. Consequently, my trip ran quickly and was very close to its estimated travel time.

Fares are collected at the stations and proof of payment is required. I did not meet a fare checker on my northbound trip. However, I was approached by one on my southbound trip. He made his way through the coach greeting people with a smile and an easy manner. His role was part fare checker and part customer service representative, both which he performed well. He instructed people on how the system worked and answered service questions. After he checked the entire bus we had a chat about the service, and he described his role when handling first time non-payment and chronic non-payment situations. I decided that I really like Swift’s method. It reduces driver stress and also provides customers with assistance.

The north terminal for Swift is at Everett Station. Like all Swift stations the terminal is color coded to match the Swift “brand.” The trip was pleasant and the service lived up to its name — “Swift.” What I found at Everett Station, however, made my trip even more worthwhile.

Everett Station is an astounding example of interagency, intermodal connectivity, which includes both public and private passenger carriers. Everett Station serves Amtrak and Sound Transit’s Sounder, commuter rail. But it doesn’t stop there. Everett also has what could be described as a campus that includes a transit center serving five public transit agencies: Community Transit, Everett Transit, Island Transit, Skagit Transit and Sound Transit (Express Buses). It also serves Greyhound, taxi services and other small vehicle transportation services.  The grounds also include a pedestrian overpass leading to a park-and-ride on the side of the tracks opposite the rail platform.

In many of my other blogs I’ve made it clear that I think serving transit riders is “job one.” Part of that service is connectivity, and part is convenience. There are many places in the King County System which allow customers to connect to other transportation services. Everett Station, however, is a cut above.  Customers do not have to walk long distances to switch from one transit system — or one mode — to another. A single campus serves as a transit nexus for the region. It serves urban and rural transit riders. It connects local circulator services with bus rapid transit and commuter rail. It connects public and private carriers. There is a safe, dry place to wait with restrooms and a coffee shop.

What do you get when you combine bus rapid transit, Amtrak, Sound Transit commuter rail, five public transit agencies, Greyhound, taxis and a park-and-ride in one place? You get an amplification of the service dollars invested. A small rural agency suddenly is able to provide its customers with options not available before. You get convenience. Customers don’t have to lug packages or baggage very far to make transfers. What do you get? You get better customer service. You get Everett Station.

Well done Swift! Well done Everett Station!

Mark Foss has more than 24 years experience working for King County Metro Transit. His experience includes work as a bus operator, special ridership coordinator in accessible services and 1st line transit supervisor. Currently, he works as a communications coordinator in the transit control center (TCC). Contact him via LinkedIn.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 8:55 am and is filed under On the Line. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.