Mason Transit Authority

Last updated
Mason Transit Authority
Mason Transit Authority 306 in Olympia.jpg
MTA bus on route 6 in Olympia
Commenced operationDecember 1, 1992 (1992-12-01)
Headquarters790 E Johns Prairie Road
Shelton, WA 98584
Locale Mason County, Washington
Service type Bus service
Routes9
Fleet18 buses, 23 minibuses and 40 vans [1] :29
Annual ridership585,534 (2014) [1] :9
Fuel type Diesel and Gasoline
General ManagerDanette Brannin (Interim) [2]
Website masontransit.org

The Mason Transit Authority (MTA), formerly the Mason County Transportation Authority, is the public transit authority of Mason County, Washington, United States. It operates free bus service within the county, connecting the city of Shelton, Hoodsport, Grapeview, Allyn, Belfair, the native tribal reservations of the Skokomish and Squaxin people, and paid commuter service to Olympia in Thurston County, Brinnon in Jefferson County, and Bremerton in Kitsap County. The agency also provides general public dial-a-ride service, operates a vanpool fleet, a worker/driver program that provides commuter service to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, volunteer driver program for senior transportation, a supplemental service that is an after school activity bus and a community van program.

Contents

History

Public transit in Mason County was conceived with the establishment of a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) on September 22, 1987. [3] After two unsuccessful attempts at approving the PTBA in 1985 and 1988, a countywide vote on November 15, 1991 approved the Mason County Public Transportation Benefit Area and a sales tax of 0.2% to fund public transportation. Buses began operating on December 1, 1992. [4]

The Mason County Transit Authority officially changed its name to Mason Transit Authority in 2013. [4]

In 2015, the agency was named the Rural Transit System of the Year by the Community Transit Association of America, citing the completion of the county's transit-community center. [5]

Facilities

Transit-Community Center

The Transit-Community Center in Shelton Transit-Community Center in Shelton, WA.jpg
The Transit-Community Center in Shelton

The Transit-Community Center is a combined community center and transit center located in Shelton that opened on April 1, 2015. It was originally a Washington National Guard armory built in the 1950s that was purchased by the MTA in 2006 and renovated at a cost of $9.9 million, funded by local sales tax and funding from the Federal Transit Administration. [6] [7]

Services

Fares

Since its founding, MTA provided fare-free service for trips within Mason County; until 2023, it charged $1.50 for trips that traveled into neighboring counties. [4] [8] Youth fares were removed in September 2022 as part of a statewide transit initiative. [9] On January 1, 2023, MTA removed all fares for fixed route and dial-a-ride services as part of a three-year pilot; the $2.50 fare for worker/driver routes to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard remained in place. [10] [11]

Routes

RouteInbound terminusOutbound terminusDestinations servedSaturday serviceNotes
1 Shelton Transit-Community Center Belfair Allyn YesRoute 1X trips continue towards Bremerton as routes 3 and 3X
2 Shelton Transit-Community Center Belfair Skokomish, Union Yes
3 Belfair Bremerton Gorst YesRoute 3X trips do not serve Old Belfair Highway
4Loop around Belfair Yes
5Loop around southern Shelton Shelton Transit-Community CenterYes
6 Shelton Transit-Community Center Olympia Transit Center Kamilche YesRoute 6X trips do not serve the Capital Mall
7Loop around northern Shelton Shelton Transit-Community CenterYes
8 Shelton Brinnon Hoodsport Yes
9Loop around central Shelton Shelton Transit-Community CenterNo
11 Shelton Transit-Community Center Lake Cushman Maintenance Office Shelton Transit-Community Center, Walmart, Hoodsport, Lake Cushman Maintenance OfficeYes

Connecting services

A Squaxin Transit bus, one of the services that connects to MTA SquaxinTransit.jpg
A Squaxin Transit bus, one of the services that connects to MTA

Fleet

Current Bus Fleet

As of October 20,2014 [1] :28–29
YearManufacturerModelFleet NumbersFuel TypeNotes
1980 MCI MC-5C904 Diesel
1999 Gillig Phantom 40' 805–806Diesel
2002GilligPhantom 35'807Diesel
2003GilligPhantom 30'808Diesel
2005GilligPhantom 35'809–810Diesel
2005GilligPhantom 40'811–812Diesel
2007Gillig Advantage 35' 300–302Diesel
2010GilligAdvantage 35'303–305Diesel
2013GilligAdvantage 35'306Diesel

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mason Transit Authority Transit Development Plan 2014-2019 and 2013 Annual Report" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. October 21, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  2. Shephard Bull, Arla (February 18, 2016). "Mason Transit GM resigns under pressure". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. "Mason Transit Authority Resolution No. 2013-01" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. November 19, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "History of MTA". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  5. Lucero, Jef (June 16, 2015). "Mason Transit Authority honored as 2015's best rural transportation system in America". WSDOT Blog. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  6. "About the Transit-Community Center". Mason Transit Authority. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. "Mason Transit Authority Opens Nation's First Transit-Community Center" (PDF) (Press release). Mason Transit Authority. April 3, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  8. "Fare Information". Mason Transit Authority. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  9. Baide, Matt (September 15, 2022). "County Briefs: Youth ride free on Mason Transit" . Shelton-Mason County Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  10. "2023 Annual Budget & Compensation Plan" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. December 20, 2022. p. 7. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  11. "Worker/Driver". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  12. "Regional Transit Connections". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2015.