American public transit operator
Clallam Transit System is a public transit operator in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It has 12 routes and also provides paratransit and vanpool services. The agency also coordinates with other transit agencies to provide inter-county connections.
History.
The Clallam County Public Transportation Benefit Area (PTBA) was formed on July 24, 1979, using a 0.3 percent sales tax approved by local voters. The following year, Clallam Transit began operating bus service on ten routes across eastern Clallam County. In 1983, the western half of the county voted to be annexed into the system.
In 2011, Clallam Transit opened a new, $15.4 million transit center in downtown Port Angeles. The agency began accepting mobile tickets in 2017 through the Token Transit app.
Clallam Transit debuted its "Strait Shot" intercity bus route in June 2017, connecting Port Angeles to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal and other points in Kitsap County. The agency launched a shuttle connecting Port Angeles to the Hurricane Ridge area of Olympic National Park in 2022; following a fire that damaged the Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge, the buses ran with limited capacity. A similar service for the Hoh Rain Forest is also under consideration, pending negotiations with the Jefferson Transit Authority and National Park Service.
In November 2023, the Clallam Transit Board approved a one-year pilot for fare-free service on its routes, with the exception of Route 123 and the Hurricane Ridge Shuttle, for the entirety of 2024. The decision was made a year after free fares for youth riders went into effect as part of a statewide initiative and subsequently doubled ridership for under-18 passengers. A state grant of $1.9 million from the Move Ahead Washington package will fund the program.
Routes.
Clallam Transit has 13 fixed routes and two microtransit routes with flexible stops. The fixed-route service is provided on primarily on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., with less service on Saturdays and Sundays.
Fares.
Clallam Transit introduced zero-fare service on most routes on January 1, 2024. The Hurricane Ridge shuttle and Strait Shot (Route 123) inter-city service still charge fares along with some Clallam Connect dial-a-ride trips. Clallam Transit accepts fares through cash payments, the Token Transit app, or bus passes.
Prior to the zero-fare trial, regular routes charged $1 for regular passengers and $0.50 for those eligible for reduced fares; long-distance routes 14 and 30 charged $1.50 for regular passengers and $1 for reduced fares; and Route 123 charged $10 for adult passengers and $5 for reduced fares. Youth passengers, U.S. military veterans, and Peninsula College students were not charged for fares.
References.
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