# Mason Transit Authority

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.

## History

Public transit in Mason County was conceived with the establishment of a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) on September 22, 1987. 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.
The Mason County Transit Authority officially changed its name to Mason Transit Authority in 2013.
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.

## Facilities
### Transit-Community Center

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.

## 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. Youth fares were removed in September 2022 as part of a statewide transit initiative. 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.

### Routes

| Route | Inbound terminus | Outbound terminus | Destinations served | Saturday service | Notes |
| 1 | Shelton Transit-Community Center | Belfair | Allyn | Yes | |
| 3 | Belfair | Bremerton | Gorst | Yes | |
| 4 | Loop around Belfair | Loop around Belfair | Loop around Belfair | Yes | |
| 5 | Loop around southern Shelton | Loop around southern Shelton | Shelton Transit-Community Center | Yes | |
| 6 | Shelton Transit-Community Center | Olympia Transit Center | Kamilche | Yes | |
| 7 | Loop around northern Shelton | Loop around northern Shelton | Shelton Transit-Community Center | Yes | |
| 8 | Shelton | Brinnon | Hoodsport | Yes | |
| 11 | Shelton Transit-Community Center | Lake Cushman Maintenance Office | Shelton Transit-Community Center, Walmart, Hoodsport, Lake Cushman Maintenance Office | Yes | |
| 21 | Shelton Matlock Park P&R | Belfair | Allyn | No | One inbound trip only. |
| 23 | Belfair | Bremerton | Belfair Park and Ride | No | One round trip only. |
| Zipper | Loop around northern Shelton. | Loop around northern Shelton. | Shelton Transit Community Center | No | |
| Pilot | Shelton Transit Community Center | McCleary | Kamilche | No | Pilot |

### Connecting services

* Kitsap Transit and Washington State Ferries in Bremerton (via route 3)
* Intercity Transit and Grays Harbor Transit in Olympia (via route 6)
* Squaxin Transit in Kamilche (via route 6)
* Jefferson Transit in Brinnon (via route 8)
* Grays Harbor Transit in McCleary (via Route P)

## Fleet
### Current Bus Fleet

    As of October 20, 2014$^{:28–29}$
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Fleet Numbers | Fuel Type |
| 1980 | MCI | MC-5C | 904 | Diesel |
| 1999 | Gillig | Phantom 40' | 805–806 | Diesel |
| 2002 | Gillig | Phantom 35' | 807 | Diesel |
| 2003 | Gillig | Phantom 30' | 808 | Diesel |
| 2005 | Gillig | Phantom 35' | 809–810 | Diesel |
| 2005 | Gillig | Phantom 40' | 811–812 | Diesel |
| 2007 | Gillig | Advantage 35' | 300–302 | Diesel |
| 2010 | Gillig | Advantage 35' | 303–305 | Diesel |
| 2013 | Gillig | Advantage 35' | 306 | Diesel |