More Fare Changes for Pierce County Coming in 2016
Pierce Transit Route 1 Bus and Tacoma Link Streetcar
The Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners voted Monday night to raise its discount fares from $0.75 to $1, and its Shuttle paratransit fares from $0.75 to $1.25, effective March 1, 2016. The discount fares include the Regional Reduced Fare Permit - for seniors 65+ and riders with disabilities - and youth 6-18. The regular fare of $2 was not impacted. Pierce Transit does not have a low-income fare at this time.
Meanwhile, STB has received word from Sound Transit spokesperson Kimberly Reason that a proposal to create a low-income fare on Tacoma Link will be going to its board in the near future. Tacoma Link is currently free, but is scheduled to start collecting fares as early as September 2016. The fare is set to start out at $1.50, or $0.75 for RRFP cardholders and youth.
Sound Transit's board voted in November to implement fare changes on ST Express and Sounder, including introducing a low-income fare, to take effect on March 1, 2016. With a $1.50 low-income fare already in effect on Link Light Rail, that leaves Tacoma Link as Sound Transit's only service not yet scheduled to have a low-income fare.
Fares for all fixed-route transit services that accept the PugetPass are below the fold. Washington State Ferries is the only agency that accepts ORCA, but not PugetPass. There is a customer satisfaction survey underway for ORCA. You can take the opportunity to urge the expansion of ORCA, PugetPass, and ORCA LIFT (the low-income fare program). Bikeshare is explicitly listed as an expansion option. The monorail is conspicuously not, but you can write it in.
FARES AS OF MARCH 1, 2016
| Agency | Service | RRFP.. | Youth | LIFT" | Full Adult |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Transit | local bus | $1.00 | $1.50 | n/a | $2.25 |
| Community Transit | commuter south/Everett | $2.00 | $3.00 | n/a | $4.25 |
| Community Transit | commuter north/east | $2.50 | $4.00 | n/a | $5.50 |
| Everett Transit | local bus | $0.25 | $0.75 | n/a | $1.00 |
| Everett Transit | commuter (Route 70) | $1.00 | $1.50 | n/a | $2.25 |
| KC Water Taxis | West Seattle ORCA | $2.00 | $3.00 | $3.00 | $4.00 |
| KC Water Taxis | West Seattle cash | $2.00 | $4.75 | $4.75 | $4.75 |
| KC Water Taxis | Vashon ORCA | $2.50 | $3.75 | $3.75 | $4.75 |
| KC Water Taxis | Vashon cash | $2.50 | $5.50 | $5.50 | $5.50 |
| King County Metro | off-peak | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.50 |
| King County Metro | 1-zone peak | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.75 |
| King County Metro | 2-zone peak | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3.25 |
| Kitsap Transit | buses and foot ferry | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.00 |
| Pierce Transit | bus | $1.00 | $1.00 | n/a | $2.00 |
| Seattle Streetcars | streetcar | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.25 |
| Sound Transit | Link Light Rail minimum | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.25 |
| Sound Transit | Link Light Rail maximum | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3.25 |
| Sound Transit | Sounder minimum | $1.50 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $3.25 |
| Sound Transit | Sounder maximum | $2.75 | $4.25 | $4.25 | $5.75 |
| Sound Transit | ST Express intra-county | $1.00 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.75 |
| Sound Transit | ST Express inter-county | $1.75 | $2.75 | $2.75 | $3.75 |
| Sound Transit | Tacoma Link | $0.00 | $0.00 | n/a | $0.00 |
Monthly PugetPasses cost 36 times the single ride fare.