Community Transit

What will you do with the time you save riding Swift?

Bus Rapid Transit

Swift serves a 17-mile route between Everett and Shoreline. This fast, frequent and convenient service offers several features that make Swift Community Transit’s highest ridership route.

• No need for a schedule - Swift operates every 12 minutes weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes weekdays from 5-6 a.m., weeknights and on Saturdays. Last bus leaves each terminal at 9:40 p.m. Buses don't run on Sundays or major holidays.
  
• Pay fares first – Riders pay their fares at the station while waiting for the bus, then board at any door when the bus arrives. Fares are: adults $1.75, youth $1.25, reduced $0.75.
• Fast boarding – Swift buses have three doors and you can enter at any one. Bicycles can be rolled onto bike racks located inside the back door.
• Accessibility – Most station platforms are just a few inches shorter than the floor of the bus, making it easy to step aboard. People who use wheelchairs enter at the front door and have an option to use a passive restraint system that doesn’t require coach operator assistance.
• High tech, high speed –ORCA smart card readers at each station make paying your fare fast and easy. On some part of the route, buses get signal priority and dedicated lanes to keep them on schedule.

How to Ride Swift

Paying Your Fare

Each Swift station has two ticket vending machines near the information kiosk. You can use cash, Visa or MasterCard to purchase your Swift ticket. Cash-paying customers should bring exact change, as machines do not make change. Dollar bills need to be carefully fed into the machine at least half way (further than most vending machines). Only one dollar bills are accepted since the machines do not make change.

Tickets are good for one ride on Swift and there are no transfers. The driver does not need to see your ticket, but riders must keep their ticket as proof of payment on Swift.
 

Swift Stations

Swift stations are located 1 to 2 miles apart, and local bus stops are located nearby for easy transfers. Frequent visits by transit police as well as lighting and regular upkeep help riders feel safe and secure. Each station also has unique artwork.

Click on a station location to learn more about the station name, nearby destinations and connecting bus services. There's also a detailed station map.

Route

Swift serves a 17-mile stretch of the Highway 99/Evergreen Way/Rucker Avenue corridor between Shoreline and Everett.

Both Swift terminals are major transit hubs. At the south end, the Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline offers to Community Transit and King County Metro Transit buses that serve south Snohomish County, north King County and downtown Seattle.

At the north end, Everett Station offers connections to Community Transit, Everett Transit, Island Transit, Skagit Transit and Sound Transit buses, as well as Sounder commuter trains, Greyhound and Amtrak.

Local stops near Swift stations offer transfers to additional stops in the corridor as well as east-west service provided by Community Transit and Everett Transit.

Key destinations served by Swift include:

• Snohomish County Campus - Downtown Everett
• Everett Clinic – Gunderson Building
• Edmonds Community College
• Premera Blue Cross
• Swedish/Edmonds Hospital

The Swift route has 10 miles of transit signal priority (TSP) intersections, which can extend a green light a few seconds to keep late-running buses on schedule. There are seven miles of transit-only lanes in the corridor, and plans include further traffic improvements.

Vehicles

Swift vehicles are stylized 62-foot articulated, hybrid diesel-electric buses with a sleek Swift logo and colorful graphics. The buses are designed with other features you won’t find on a standard bus, including:

• Three doors for quick boarding.
• A passive restraint system for wheelchairs that doesn't require coach operator assistance.
• Onboard bicycle racks custom-designed by Community Transit mechanics.
• Wide seats with extra legroom for a comfortable ride.
• Standing room for riders who prefer to stand for shorter trips.
• Seating for 43 passengers and overall capacity up to 80 riders.

These buses were specially built for Community Transit’s Swift line by New Flyer in St. Cloud, Minn.

Accessibility

Priority for front seats is given to seniors and people with disabilities. Pavement markers on the station platform indicate that passengers using mobility devices should board at the front door, where a ramp can be deployed if needed. Most station platforms are just a few inches shorter than the floor of the bus, making it easy to step aboard  (Aurora Village is the only station without a raised platform).

With wider aisles and no farebox, it’s easy to get onto the bus and into a designated wheelchair position. The two wheelchair bays can either be used in the standard, front-facing position or in a rear-facing position that requires no assistance -- simply back up to the padded backboard, set your brakes and pull down the armrest.

When you approach your station stop, use the call button located in the priority seating area to signal the coach operator that you will be deboarding. The operator can then deploy the ramp or allow extra time at the station as needed.

Bicycles

To load your bike, enter at the rear door and simply push your bike onto the rack in front of you. Make sure that your front wheel is centered and secure under the roller. Fold-up seats are located near the bike racks so you can keep an eye on your bike and be ready to deboard. To remove your bike, pull back firmly.

Racks fit standard bikes with wheels from 20 to 29 inches in diameter and tires up to 3 inches wide. Items that extend to the side or rear may need to be removed to keep the aisle clear and allow other bikes to be loaded.

If the rack is full but the bus is not, the coach operator has discretion to allow you to board and hold your bike securely. However, room for passengers and safety always take priority. If the vehicle is crowded, you may need to wait for the next bus.

Background

Swift Partnerships

Swift is a partnership between Snohomish County’s two local transit agencies: Community Transit and Everett Transit. Thanks to the innovative nature of bus rapid transit, both Community Transit and Everett Transit received competitive state and federal grants to fund most of Swift's capital costs (buses and stations). Everett also contributes operating funds for Swift. This support, plus state and federal grants and fares, pay for 90 percent of Swift's operating costs into 2013.

• Swift Photo Album
• Swift Rider Information Card (pdf)
• Swift Determination of Non-Significance 6/2/08
• Swift SEPA Environmental Checklist
• Everett Evergreen Way Corridor Study

More on Bus Rapid Transit

• King County Metro Transit Rapid Ride
• Federal Transit Administration Bus Rapid Transit

Swift News Archive

• Swift station completed, testing starts (Enterprise 10/7/09 )
•  Bus rapid transit arriving in Puget Sound (Times 10/1/09 )
• New Swift buses offer riders swift ticketing, swift loading, swift rides along Hwy 99 (Herald 9/25/09 )
• First Swift Station Completed ( 9/22/09 )
•  Lynnwood seeks new vision for Highway 99 (Herald 08/14/09 )
• Swift BRT Stations Rising Along Highway 99 ( 07/15/09 )
•  Hybrid buses: Going south from Everett faster (Herald 05/08/09 )
•  First Look at Swift Bus Rapid Transit ( 05/05/09 )
•  Swift Construction Reaches Pacific Avenue ( 04/03/09 )
• Design standards, landscaping planned for new Hwy. 99 bus stations (Herald 01/15/09 )
• Construction Begins on Swift Bus Rapid Transit ( 12/03/08 )
•  Swift Groundbreaking Dec. 3 ( 11/14/08 )
• Construction to Begin on Swift Bus Rapid Transit ( 11/13/08 )
• Meetings on Swift Construction ( 11/12/08 )
• Community Transit, Everett Transit Become Partners ( 12/05/07 )