Innovative Services
Community Transit’s Innovative Services focuses on partnering with local communities and jurisdictions to test new transportation solutions. We hope these solutions can help provide people with more public transit options and improve their quality of life. These pilot programs often serve as a vital connection to existing transit systems, providing access closer to people's homes and destinations and expanding access to transit for more communities.
How it works
1) City Partnership & Community Focus
Community Transit will partner with cities of all sizes in its service area to pilot these programs. Pilots serve as tests that help us learn from and potentially replicate in other communities. Communities for these pilots are chosen based on criteria such as population density, access to jobs, demographics/equity index, and current access to transit services.
2) Needs Assessment & Service Selection
Once selected, Community Transit works with these cities to partner on a comprehensive community needs assessment. This assessment identifies travel gaps and barriers to accessing transportation. This process includes learning from residents, working with city staff, and working with a community working group. These stakeholders help us to determine the local area of focus and the type of transportation service to test.
3) Service Pilot & Evaluation
The type of service for each pilot may vary. Community Transit partners closely with each respective community to customize a service that is most effective for their needs. The success of these pilots will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if the service will continue long term. This will be based on ridership and other relevant data from the pilot.
Current Projects
Community Transit has made the decision to move forward with the initial assessment phase for three new pilot programs. After much consideration of various criteria — including population density, access to jobs, demographics/equity index, and current
access to transit services — Community Transit will be partnering with the following cities to develop new Innovative Services pilots:
- Lake Stevens
- Arlington
- Darrington
Community Transit is currently in the Needs Assessment phase for these cities and will be conducting a survey to better understand how people travel in these communities. Residents in these cities will receive postcards with links to take the survey online and a phone number to call to request a paper copy. Community Transit will also be running outreach efforts to invite people to give their feedback. The survey will be open through the month of April.
Current Pilot Program
Community Transit and the City of Lynnwood partnered to launch the agency’s first innovative pilot project to better meet transportation needs within the city.
Why Lynnwood?
Lynnwood was selected for this pilot program because of its dense and diverse population and many popular destinations. Lynnwood will also be the site of the northern terminal for Link light rail in 2024. A comprehensive needs assessment identified travel gaps and barriers to accessing transportation in fast-growing areas of Lynnwood. This resulted in focusing on an on-demand microtransit solution to test.
What is On-Demand Microtransit?
On-demand microtransit is a flexible transit service that you request when you need it. Vehicles are typically smaller than traditional buses. Microtransit often operates within a defined service area to get riders close to home or where they want to go.
Zip Alderwood Shuttle
Zip Alderwood Shuttle was designed with assistance from community members to help make getting around the area easier. This pilot launched in October 2022 and will run for one year. Community Transit will continue gathering public feedback during this period to develop this program into a travel option that meets the community's needs.
Learn more about Alderwood Shuttle