Public transit isn’t just a way to get from here to there, it can help strengthen your community and make travel easier for everyone. Here in Snohomish County, Community Transit is rolling out a major network expansion to improve local transit options and provide more connections to regional transit. The service change starts Sept. 14, two weeks after the opening of four new light rail stations in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, and Shoreline.
This isn’t just a few extra bus stops — it’s a major change to local bus service that will help the people of Snohomish County connect to their communities and beyond. Community Transit riders will enjoy faster, more frequent, and more reliable bus service every day of the week. With 32% more service compared to 2023 and six times as many connections to regional light rail stations, local and regional travel will be easier than ever. Changes include extending the popular Swift Blue Line to the Shoreline North/185th light rail station and adding six new express routes that will run during peak commute times.
Community Transit is also adding 10 new local bus routes on September 14, including Route 121. This route will operate between Ash Way Park & Ride and the UW Bothell/Cascadia College campus. Route 121 will also serve two new bus stops in front of Lynnwood High School on North Road as recent road improvements allow for bus service in this area.
Justine Locke, vice principal at Lynnwood High School, has seen how transportation barriers can prevent students from participating in school programs, athletics, and activities. Although public schools provide limited bus service during school hours, Locke describes the lack of nearby bus service as a “broken bridge.”
“Transit is an equity issue. When you don’t have access to something as basic as transportation, you don’t have the ability to get where you need to go,” she says. “I have seen the deficit that my students face when they’re walking five miles all dressed up for a school dance, biking to class from as far as Everett, and walking multiple miles to Edmonds Stadium to attend a football game”
Locke shared that the September service change and Route 121 will create new opportunities for the students at her school. She says that the new route’s connections to local colleges will help more students participate in Running Start, which lets high schoolers take classes at Cascadia College and Edmonds College.
“It’s going to open up new pathways for so many students,” said Locke.
To learn more about the service change and how Community Transit is creating more connected communities, visit communitytransit.org/transit4you.
SOURCE: Community Transit
