Ridership Patterns for Community Transit Routes 201 and 202

Community Transit routes 201 and 202 travel inbound from Smokey Point Transit Center to Lynnwood City Center station via Everett, Mariner P&R and Ash Way P&R. Each route runs every 30 minutes, scheduled for a combined 15 minute frequency along most of the route. Between Marysville and Smokey Point, Route 201 travels on Smokey Point Blvd, and Route 202 uses 51st Ave NE.

In October 2025, routes 201 and 202 had 1,766 and 1,941 average weekday boardings, respectively. These routes are the 4th and 5th busiest routes in Community Transit's network, following the three Swift routes.

Route 201 and 202 Map (Community Transit, edited by author to show Route 201 deviation)Average Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing King County Metro Route 70.

Average Weekday Ridership per Route 201 Trip in October 2025. Inbound" is toward Lynnwood City Center station; Outbound" is toward Smokey Point Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

Route 201 operates as both a local and express service connecting several cities in Snohomish County. Ridership patterns for routes 201 and 202 are quite similar, so most of the observations apply to both routes. Ridership data for Route 202 is in the Appendix below. Some observations:

• Smokey Point Transit Center provides decent ridership with about 4 boardings per trip throughout the day. This stop is located between I-5 and Arlington Airport, near single family homes and a suburban shopping area. The transit center is a hub for Community Transit routes serving north Snohomish County, including routes 209, 220, 230, 240, 905, and 907.
• Route 201 runs independently on Smokey Point Blvd and State Ave north of 100th St. Ridership along this segment of State Ave is minimal, expect for the stop at State Ave & 116th St. This stop is located near a shopping center and has a few people boarding each inbound trip and alighting each outbound trip.
• Routes 201 and 202 converge south of 100th St. The stops near 100th St are next to a shopping center with a grocery store, movie theater, and a few restaurants. A few passengers board and depart each trip, in both directions.
• The stop pair at State Ave & Grove St has a few passengers board and depart in each trip in both directions. These stops are adjacent to a grocery store, fast food restaurants, a few strip mall stores. Passengers can transfer to Route 222 or walk 5-10 minutes to Route 904.
• In Everett, routes 201 and 202 stop near Washington State University and Everett Community College at Broadway & Tower St. This stop is busy throughout the day with a few passengers boarding and alighting each trip. Everett Transit Route 4, Island Transit Route 412, and Skagit Transit Route 90X also stop here. Everett Transit routes 4, 7, 19, and 29 stop at Everett Community College Station, a 5-10 minute walk away.
• Everett Station is one of the busiest stops on the route. About 4 passengers depart each inbound trip and board each outbound trip. 2-3 passengers board each inbound trip and alight each outbound trip. Everett station is a key transfer hub with service from Community Transit routes 270, 271, 280, 907, Swift Blue Line, Sound Transit routes 510, 512, 532, Sounder N Line, Everett Transit routes 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 29, and Amtrak routes.
• Routes 201 and 202 run express south from Everett Station to Mariner Park and Ride. This 644 space P&R is next to a grocery store and several restaurants. Community Transit routes 101, 106, 109, and Swift Green Line stop here and provide more local service to nearby destinations. Most riders traveling to/from Mariner P&R are doing so to/from a stop to the north, but there is a spike in passengers boarding inbound morning trips and alighting outbound afternoon trips. These are likely passengers using the Park and Ride and traveling to Link.
• A similar pattern occurs at the 1,005 space Ash Way P&R, though the morning and afternoon ridership spikes are more prominent.
• The routes' southern terminus, Lynnwood City Center Station is busy all day, especially in the morning and afternoon. Passengers can transfer here to Link 1 Line and 2 Line, Swift Orange Line, Community Transit routes 102, 103, 112, 114, 117, 120, 130, 166, 901, 903, 904, 905, and Sound Transit routes 512, 513, 515, 535.

Daily Totals per Stop

The daily totals further show the route's busier stops. These are often stops with connections to lots of other routes, or stops near shopping centers. The only section of the route with consistent ridership at each stop is along Broadway in Everett.

Average Route 201 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts in October 2025. Inbound" is toward Lynnwood City Center station; Outbound" is toward Smokey Point Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Looking Ahead

Community Transit is in the planning stages of its fourth Swift Line, the Gold Line. The Gold Line will follow Route 202's routing between Everett Station and Smokey Point Transit Center, with a short detour to better serve downtown Everett. Of the two paths between 100th St and 172nd St, 51st Ave (Route 202) has more riders than Smokey Point Blvd (Route 201). Community Transit expects to begin construction on the Gold Line in 2028 and service should start in 2031. The ridership data for Route 202 is available below.

Proposed Swift Gold map (Community Transit)Appendix: Route 202

Given the significant overlap in coverage, ridership patterns for routes 201 and 202 are similar. A noticeable difference is Route 202's stop at 43rd Ave & 171st St. This stop is located next to an Amazon Fulfillment Center and the stops unique ridership data suggest it is primarily used by Amazon employees. The stop has minimal mid-day and evening ridership, but strong morning and afternoon ridership. The curiously high inbound night ridership is from a single trip that stops here at 4:37am each weekday morning.

Average Weekday Ridership per Route 202 Trip in October 2025. Inbound" is toward Lynnwood City Center station; Outbound" is toward Smokey Point Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Average Route 202 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts in October 2025. Inbound" is toward Lynnwood City Center station; Outbound" is toward Smokey Point Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.