Jefferson Transit to hold open houses about new routes changes coming April 11th

Jefferson Transit will be holding two open houses—one in Port Townsend and one in Port Hadlock—in the coming week to let the public know about the new route changes going into effect on April 11th. Both open houses will be from 5:30-7:30 pm with the Port Townsend one on March 18th at the Marina Room at Point Hudson. The second one will be March 23rd at the Jefferson County Library in Port Hadlock. Both are free to the public. “The open houses are a great opportunity for people to find out about the new route changes,” said Mike Pollack, Interim General Manager for Jefferson Transit. “These new routes are a significant change that makes it much easier for our local community to get around, to get to work and become more ‘Green’. We welcome everyone to attend one of the open houses and learn how this can positively affect your life.” Maps and schedules of the new routes will be available, as well as staff from Jefferson Transit to answer questions. In addition, transit staff will demonstrate Internet-based Google Transit for individuals to determine the best way for them to get from “Point A to Point B.” Some of the advantages the new routes will provide to the community include extended service hours on some routes, fewer transfers between buses, easier commuting (the new schedules match start and quit times of most major employers), and more service to downtown and uptown. For more information, go to www.jeffersontransit.com or call 360.385.4777. Jefferson Transit is a public transit system that began service in May 1981 after a successful vote by Jefferson County citizens in 1980. Jefferson Transit operates as a Public Transportation Benefit Area in the State of Washington.

Jefferson Transit Extends Saturday Morning Poulsbo Service for Four Weeks

When Jefferson Transit staff heard that Kitsap Transit had proposed to cut connecting service in Poulsbo on Saturdays, it didn’t take long to come up with a plan to maintain vital connections until a service adjustment could be made in January. Jefferson Transit staff members first heard about a Kitsap Transit service reduction effective December 13 on December 6. The information passed by word of mouth from riders to drivers to administrative staff members. The service cut eliminates two of the existing 8 round trips on Saturdays on the Kitsap Transit #90 Poulsbo/Bainbridge service. Coincidentally, these two eliminated trips are the only trips on that route that connect with Jefferson Transit’s #7 service between Port Townsend and Poulsbo. In addition, cuts to Kitsap Transit’s #32 Poulsbo/Silverdale schedule will have some adverse effects on Jefferson Transit connections.

By mid-morning the following Monday, a plan had been made to extend the #7 route on Saturday mornings all the way to the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal until a service adjustment in January once again makes it possible to have efficient connections from Port Townsend to Poulsbo to Bainbridge and back on Saturdays. “We realized that this was just about the worst time of year to lose this connection. Many people depend on those trips to get to and from the airport, especially during the holiday season. We needed to act fast in order to keep our riders happy”, reported Jefferson Transit’s general manager Dave Turissini. The #7 will run morning service from Port Townsend to the ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island on the following dates:

Saturday, December 19
Saturday, December 26
Saturday, January 2
Saturday, January 9

The regularly scheduled Saturday #7 departure will leave from the Haines Place Park-and-Ride at 8:20 AM, as it does now, and continue on to the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal. It will make one stop in Poulsbo at the Poulsbo Transfer Center at 9:40 AM and will arrive at the ferry terminal at 10:05 AM. That same vehicle will then depart the ferry terminal for its return trip to Port Townsend at 10:15 AM, stopping at the Poulsbo Transfer Center at 10:35 AM and arriving back at Port Townsend at its regularly scheduled time of 11:49 AM. There will be no changes to the regularly scheduled Saturday afternoon service that departs Port Townsend at 3:22 PM; however, this bus will not connect with any Kitsap Transit Services upon arrival in Poulsbo. This bus will accept transfers from Kitsap Transit #90 as it does now. Passengers should note that the only way to get beyond Poulsbo on Saturdays using Jefferson Transit between December 19 and January 9 is to use the 8:20 AM #7 Port Townsend departure. After January 19 Jefferson Transit will operate a modified schedule that will restore connections with remaining Kitsap Transit services.

For further information, please contact Jefferson Transit directly at 385-4777.

Jefferson Transit Public Hearings December 15

There will be two public hearings at the next regular meeting of the Jefferson Transit Authority Board to take comment regarding a proposed service change in April, 2010 and the proposed Operating and Capital Budgets for 2010. Materials for these two subjects can be found at http://www.jeffersontransit.com/ The Authority Board meeting will be held at the Port Townsend Fire Station training room, located 701 Harrison St., Port Townsend, at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15. For more information, please call 385-4777.

Jefferson Transit Service Planning - Additional Community Meetings

Following a public hearing at the November meeting of the Jefferson Transit Authority Board, Jefferson Transit staff will hold several additional community meetings in Jefferson County to discuss the proposed comprehensive service plan. The meetings will be held at the following locations:

Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Avenue, Port Hadlock
Wednesday, December 17th, 1:30 AND 6:30 p.m.

Port Townsend Community Center Main Room (upstairs)
Tuesday, January 6th, 6:15 p.m.
Tuesday, January 13th, 1:00 p.m.

Port Ludlow Beach Club, 121 Marina View Drive, Port Ludlow
Monday, January 12th, 2:15 p.m.

Your comments on service planning changes are welcome!

Please call us at 385-4777 if you require special transportation arrangements to the meeting.

Drawings will be held at each meeting for three monthly passes.

Jefferson Transit looking to prioritize commuter trips with new service plan

Jefferson Transit is considering a significant service plan switch that would prioritize commuter trips. Buses would begin earlier in the day in order to help riders get to work in the morning, and extend into the evening to help them get home after work. In addition to new early and late trips that would allow, for example, connections with early and late ferries to and from Seattle, the Port Townsend Shuttle, Castle Hill, Fort Worden and North Beach routes would be consolidated into two new connector routes that would connect neighborhoods and Castle Hill through passes uptown and downtown.

For more information, visit the "Public Information" section of the Jefferson Transit website.

With respect to the creation of a vibrant commute trip reduction program for our community, this service plan switch is a key component. The next step is to encourage employers to take advantage of tax breaks and other opportunities to put monthly bus passes into the hand of the employees.

For more information about commuter incentive programs, start here at Commuter Choice, a program funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency.