Community Transit

Swift Launch Celebration Set For Nov. 29

October 13, 2009

Public invited to join in the fun as state’s first bus rapid transit line begins

Snohomish County, Wash. – Community Transit will celebrate the launch of Swift – the state’s first bus rapid transit line – with a fun-filled free public event on Sunday, Nov. 29.

The celebration will take place from 2-4 p.m. at the Swift station site at 196th Street and Highway 99 in Lynnwood. The event will include guest speakers, family fun and entertainment, information booths and refreshments. And, of course, the official launch of Swift. Swift will go into operation during the launch event and as a special treat, customers will be able to ride Swift for free until midnight on Nov. 29.

If you can’t wait until Nov. 29 to check out a new Swift bus, Community Transit will host several public outreach events leading up to the launch of Swift. Community Transit staff will be handing out special promotional scratch tickets to people attending the events. People can scratch off the tickets and see if they’ve won a special ride aboard one of the Swift buses to the public launch celebration on Nov. 29. The upcoming events include:

·         2-5 p.m. Oct. 19 at Aurora Village Transit Center, 1524 N. 200th Street

·         9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 21 at Everett Station, 3201 Smith Avenue

·         8 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 29 at Snohomish County Campus, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett

·         10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 31 at McDonald’s parking lot at 176th Street and Evergreen Way

·         9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 5 at Lynnwood Transit Center, 20100 48th Avenue West

The event on Halloween at 176th Street will also celebrate the 10th birthday of Oxy Gene, Community Transit’s super hero. People are encouraged to stop by in costumes and join in the fun, celebrating with Oxy Gene and learning about Swift. Radio station WARM 106.9 FM will broadcast from the event and people are encouraged to bring a toy to donate to Christmas House, benefitting children in Snohomish County.

Swift is the Puget Sound region’s new way of using public transportation. New hybrid buses will run every 10 minutes from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and every 20 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight weekdays and from 6 a.m. to midnight on weekends. Buses will travel a 17-mile route between Everett Station and the Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline, primarily along Highway 99.

Buses will not stop at regular local bus stops and instead will only stop at Swift stations that have been constructed along the route. There are 24 Swift stations and buses will only make 12 stops in each direction. Passengers will not pay their fare onboard Swift, instead using ticket vending machines or ORCA card readers located at the stations to pre-pay before boarding. Bike racks are located onboard Swift buses and passengers can board at any of three extra-wide doors.

For more information about Swift, log on to www.communitytransit.org/swift.

Community Transit strives to help Puget Sound commuters think transit first. With the region’s first bus rapid transit line – Swift, and the four-story Mountlake Terrace parking garage that opened this year in Mountlake Terrace, the agency is a leader in finding new ways to make alternative transportation an attractive option. Call Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE or (800) 562-1375 for bus information, or (888) 814-1300 for carpool or vanpool information, or go to www.communitytransit.org.

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