Feeling the pinch from high gas prices? Take transit!

Many people are feeling the high cost of living in 2025. From housing, to food, to gas, it can be overwhelming to pay your bills. In late September, the average gas price in Snohomish County was $4.54 per gallon. At that price, filling an average 18.5-gallon tank is around $85.  

And budgeting for gas isn’t the only challenge people are facing as American’s purchasing power has decreased. Consumer prices rose 0.4% in August 2025, meaning people are spending more money to maintain the same standard of living. 

You can ride transit for all kinds of trips — whether you’re heading to the grocery store, meeting friends for brunch, or exploring somewhere new. Regular adult fare on a Community Transit bus is just $2.50. When you pay with your ORCA card, you can transfer to another bus for free within two hours, making it easy to get where you need to go. 

Check out the price difference between commuting by transit and driving your own car for an adult commuter driving to Seattle from Snohomish County five days each week.  

Commuting with transit (taking the bus to light rail)  

• ORCA Monthly Pass: $108 
• Unlimited rides at $3 per-trip value which covers all Community Transit routes as well as ST Express Routes and Link light rail. Your transfer with ORCA includes trips where a rider switches from bus to light rail or another bus. 
• Total: $108 

Commuting by driving your car 

• Three full tanks of gas: $255 
• Monthly parking pass: $200 
• Added monthly car maintenance expenses: $70 
• Total: $525  
  

Total monthly savings taking transit: $417 

If you’re paying with an ORCA card, your bus fare takes you farther. Your ORCA card can cover longer trips and more destinations, with a two-hour credit when you transfer. ORCA can be used on the light rail, ferries, the Sounder train, or buses in our region like Community Transit, Everett Transit, and King County Metro.  

The myORCA app and website will make managing your ORCA account even easier. ORCA will also add more retail locations where you can buy and reload ORCA cards. 
 
You may have an employee benefit to help you save even more. Many local employers provide ORCA cards to cover some or all of your bus fare. Check with your employer to see if they provide this handy benefit. Want to build a case for your own office to offer ORCA passes? Check out ORCA for business resources. 

• Buses: Use Community Transit’s local and Swift buses for convenient travel within Snohomish County. For longer commutes, our express routes make fewer stops between major residential areas and key transit hubs—helping you get there faster and easily connect with Link light rail. Learn more about our bus route types. 
  
• Vanpool: If taking the bus doesn’t fit your needs, check out our Vanpool Program, which provides safe, reliable vans so groups can commute together. Many employers will also subsidize the cost of a vanpool. Use our Vanpool Fare Calculator to see how much you can save on your commute. 
  
• Zip Shuttle: For shorter trips around your community—like heading to the grocery store or meeting friends for a meal—try Zip Shuttle. Zip gives you the freedom to get where you need to go for the same price as local bus fare and is currently available in Alderwood, Arlington, Lake Stevens, and Darrington. 

If the cost savings alone aren’t enough to convince you to take transit, consider this: Research shows that every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns. Taking public transit is an investment in your community. Public transit eases traffic congestion, promotes a cleaner environment, connects employees to jobs and shoppers to businesses, and creates local jobs.  

Get where you’re going for less. Learn more here.