Community Transit's planning for
limited-stop bus service, which later evolved into
bus rapid transit, began in the 1990s, with proposals to build
bus lanes on State Route 99 between 145th Street NE in
Shoreline and Casino Road (near
State Route 526) in Everett.
Sound Transit was established in 1996 as a
regional transit authority, and selected the State Route 99 corridor as a route for
its express bus system, but later replaced it, before service began, with an express route on Interstate 5 from Everett to
Northgate, while leaving SR 99 to Community Transit. Sound Transit funded the construction of
business access and transit lanes on State Route 99 through
Lynnwood from 244th Street to 148th Street in 2002, converting former parking lanes, and widening the highway in some areas, improving existing bus service, and laying the ground for a future bus rapid transit line. Community Transit's Strategic Planning Group published a recommendation in 2004, calling for bus rapid transit service on the State Route 99 corridor between
Everett Station and
Aurora Village Transit Center, featuring off-board fare collection, limited stops, and
transit signal priority. The route alternatives proposed included express service from Aurora Village to
Downtown Seattle via Aurora Avenue North or Interstate 5, as well as express service on Interstate 5 in Everett, if a partnership to share costs with Everett Transit for the Evergreen Way segment was not viable. In December 2005, the CT Board of Directors approved an accelerated planning schedule for a bus rapid transit project, to cost an estimated $15–20 million, and to begin service as the first such system in the
Puget Sound region in 2008.
Blue Line planning, design and construction Community Transit unveiled detailed plans for its bus rapid transit system, including the "Swift" name and logo, on July 26, 2006. The first line, located on State Route 99 between Everett and Aurora Village, would begin operating in 2008, with 10-minute
headways and limited stops. The agency envisioned
real-time arrival signs at stations, and
transit signal priority, among other improvements over existing bus service. The following year, CT purchased its fleet of 15
hybrid diesel-electric buses from
New Flyer, at a cost of $879,028 per vehicle, to be paid for with state and federal
subsidies. Community Transit signed an agreement on December 5, 2007 with Everett Transit, which allowed for Swift to operate within Everett
city limits with
sales tax revenue from Everett funding stations, and
transit signal priority within Everett. In exchange, Everett Transit would be allowed to expand its services into neighboring
unincorporated areas that do not have CT service. A
groundbreaking ceremony for the first Swift station, located at Airport Road in south Everett, was held on December 3, 2008, and was attended by Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor,
U.S. Senator Patty Murray, and the mayors of Everett and
Marysville. Stations were constructed in two phases: the first consisting of utility relocation and pouring of the concrete shelter pad; the second being the installation of the shelters, beacons, and other amenities beginning in June 2009. The first station to be completed, a training facility at the Merrill Creek
bus base, was opened during a media event on May 5, 2009; The project cost a total of $29 million (equivalent to $ in ), of which $15 million was paid for by grants from the
Federal Transit Administration,
Washington State Department of Transportation, as well as the partnership with Everett Transit. The grants also paid for the majority of the cost to operate Swift for its first three years of service, estimated at $5 million annually, allowing it to maintain 10-minute headways, while the rest of Community Transit service was reduced in 2010.
Blue Line launch and later developments Swift launched on November 29, 2009 with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony at Crossroads Station, and a day of
free rides from 4:00 p.m. to midnight. The following day marked the beginning of regular service, with the first runs departing their termini at 5:00 am, and the new service attracted more than 1,500 riders, with end-to-end trips taking 20 minutes less compared to local buses on the same corridor. Swift debuted as the first
bus rapid transit line in the state of
Washington, ahead of
King County's RapidRide, opening a year later in 2010, and one of the longest lines in the country when it opened. The agency also received two bronze
Summit Creative Awards for the launch of Swift, as well as
instructional videos on riding Swift that were published on
YouTube. Swift stations were given a number of small improvements after the line opened. Curb bumpers were installed in June 2010 to help guide buses closer to the raised platform, and reduce the gap at the door. In 2012, a
queue jump signal was installed northbound at the north end of the BAT lanes at 148th Street, allow Swift buses to merge into traffic.
Real-time arrival signs debuted at Swift stations in 2013, featuring a
countdown to the arrival of the next bus that is estimated using
GPS units on coaches. In June 2015, the
Washington State Department of Transportation removed part of the
refuge island at the intersection of State Route 99 and Airport Road to create a through lane exclusively for Swift buses.
Green Line planning In 2005, Community Transit approved a long range plan, which extended Swift into a full network, and which comprised the core of Community Transit service on "Transit Emphasis Corridors". The corridors identified served the cities of
Everett,
Lynnwood,
Edmonds,
Mill Creek,
Bothell,
Marysville, and
Arlington, using existing arterial streets that already have bus service. Community Transit announced plans for a second Swift line in November 2013. The line, tentatively named "Swift II", was created out of two Transit Emphasis Corridors, and would travel from the
Boeing Everett Factory to
Mill Creek via Airport Road and
State Route 527. A study, prepared by
Parsons Brinckerhoff, and partially funded by the state legislature in 2012, estimated that the project would cost $42–48 million to construct, and attract 3,300 riders when it opened. The
Federal Transit Administration approved project development in December 2014, a prerequisite to federal grants for capital construction and vehicle acquisition. During the 2015 session of the
Washington State Legislature, Community Transit was granted the authority to increase
sales taxes to fund operation of Swift II, pending voter approval via a
ballot measure; the
Washington State Department of Transportation also gave $6.8 million in funding to build the line's northern terminus at Seaway Transit Center. The second line was renamed the
Green Line in August 2016 and given a 2019 completion date. The Green Line opened on March 24, 2019, a few weeks after the Paine Field passenger terminal.
Network expansion The
Orange Line opened on March 30, 2024, and connects
Edmonds College to Lynnwood and Mill Creek. It also serves
Lynnwood City Center station, where it connects to the
Link light rail system;
Alderwood Mall; and the 164th Street corridor. Construction began in April 2022. The Blue Line was extended through
Shoreline to
Shoreline North/185th station on September 14, 2024, as part of the realignment of buses for the opening of the
Lynnwood Link Extension. Community Transit also retrofitted existing Blue and Green line stations to use new digital signage and ticket vending machines; on-board digital signage is planned to be installed by late 2025. An extension of the Green Line into Downtown Bothell and the
University of Washington, Bothell campus is planned to open by 2031 with up to six new stations, two of which would be shared with the upcoming
Stride S3 Line. The Silver Line is planned to begin at Seaway Transit Center and travel along SR 527 and
132nd Street to a new
park-and-ride lot in northern Cathcart. It is scheduled to begin construction in 2031 and open in 2037 at a cost of $153.6million. A proposal to add an intra-city line within Everett between the
Riverfront and waterfront areas was floated in 2019 during discussions of a merger between Community Transit and Everett Transit. ==See also==