The Pierce Transit Board of Directors Monday night officially voted to end all bus service to the eastern parts of Pierce County beginning this October.
Only the 496, running from the Bonney Lake Park and Ride lot to the Sumner Sounder station survived the axe, at least through February.
The plan is designed to maximize ridership in high population areas, which means small cities like Bonney Lake, Sumner and Buckley are left without service.
These reductions are necessary due to a $51 million budget shortfall brought on by the economic recession and loss of Proposition 1 at the February 2011 election. Adoption of this final phase completes the plans for an overall 35% service reduction in 2011.
More than 64 percent of voters in the 31st legislative district, which includes Bonney Lake, Sumner and Buckley, rejected Proposition 1, with many calling it a lose-lose for the area, which, even if it passed, would have seen reductions in service in exchange for an increase to sales tax.
According to a press release, more than 140 people attended Monday’s public hearing at Pierce Transit headquarters in Lakewood. In addition, more than 350 people provided spoken or written testimony on the October reduction plan.
The majority of people told Board members how essential public transportation is to their lives and how devastating the proposed cuts would be: keeping them from getting to work, attending school, shopping, going to church, and visiting friends.
Following public hearing testimony, the Board directed staff to preserve the Route 496 through February 2012 and to work with partners to find a possible solution for keeping that route. In addition, the Board directed staff to develop options for keeping a transit connection to Northeast Tacoma.
In total, Pierce Transit will eliminate the following 14 bus routes and corresponding paratransit in October including the following routes in East Pierce County / Bonney Lake/ Sumner/ Buckley
• Route 406 Buckley
• Route 407 Prairie Ridge
• Route 408 Sumner-Bonney lake
• Route 409 Puyallup to Sumner segment
• Orting Loop
