# Whatcom Transportation Authority

The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) is the public transit authority of Whatcom County in northwestern Washington, based in the city of Bellingham. It provides bus service on 28 fixed routes, including four branded "GO Lines" with 15-minute frequencies on weekdays. In addition to bus service, the WTA offers paratransit service and a vanpool programs.
The WTA is funded by a 0.6% sales tax within the Whatcom County public transportation benefit area (PTBA) and grants from the state and federal governments. Service began on January 1, 1984, using equipment bought from the Bellingham municipal transit system after a countywide authority was established a year earlier.

## History

The Whatcom Transportation Authority was created in 1983 and service in western Whatcom County, including the cities of Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden, began on January 1, 1984. The city of Bellingham began operating its own municipal transit system in 1971 by taking over a failing private operator, funding it with a 0.3% sales tax within the city beginning in 1975. The system was absorbed into the new countywide public transportation benefit area, which adopted the same sales tax rate in 1983.
The WTA reduced its service by 14 percent in 2010 due to reduced revenue during the Great Recession; service was later restored in 2017. The agency responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 by cutting 30 percent of service, which was restored in June 2021.

### Predecessors

Public transportation in Whatcom County has a rich history dating back to the late 19th century. The first significant mode of public transit was the streetcar, which began operating in the 1890s. The Bellingham Bay Improvement Company ran the electric streetcars, connecting various neighborhoods to the central business districts of Bellingham. This system expanded in the early 20th century, playing a crucial role in the urban development of the area.
The streetcar system continued to be the main form of public transportation until the 1920s and 1930s when automobiles and buses began to take over. In 1938, the last streetcar line was discontinued and replaced with diesel buses, signaling the end of the streetcar era.
Private bus operators initially filled the void left by the streetcars. However, these private services struggled financially and operationally. By the 1940s and 1950s, several attempts to stabilize and improve bus transit were made, but with limited success.
In 1971, Bellingham took over a failing private bus company, establishing a municipal transit system funded by a 0.3% sales tax introduced in 1975. This system laid the foundation for a more extensive regional approach to public transportation.

## Services

In 2022, the WTA carried a total of 3.1 million passengers on all of its services, with 94 percent on its 28 fixed bus routes. The fixed-route boardings increased by 70 percent over the previous year, but remained 65 percent of the 2019 ridership figures. The busiest fixed route in 2022 was Route 331, which connects Bellingham Station to Cordata Station and is branded as the Gold Line.

### GO Lines

The "GO Lines" are four corridors where local service combines for 15-minute headways on weekdays and are branded with a specific color by the WTA beginning in 2005.
* Blue Line (routes 107, 108, 190, 196, and 197): Bellingham Station to Sehome Village, via Western Washington University
* Green Line (route 232): Bellingham Station to Cordata Station and Whatcom Community College
* Gold Line (route 331): Bellingham Station to Cordata Station and Whatcom Community College, via Bellis Fair Mall and Roosevelt
* Plum Line (routes 512, 525, 533 and 540): Bellingham Station to Lakeway Drive; originally added in 2008, cut in 2010, and re-instated in 2017.
A fifth GO Line, the Red Line from Bellingham Station to the Fairhaven Transportation Center, was removed in March 2017. Plans to convert one of three existing GO Lines to bus rapid transit was proposed in a 2023 feasibility study. The study proposes completion of a bus rapid transit line by 2031 with transit signal priority, limited stops, and high frequencies.

### County Connector

WTA Route 80X, known as the County Connector, is an inter-county route operated by the WTA and Skagit Transit that makes 9 daily roundtrips on weekdays and 5 daily roundtrips on Saturdays and Sundays between Bellingham Station and Skagit Station in Mount Vernon, with intermediate stops at park and rides along Interstate 5. There is also a shuttle bus that connects Route 80X to Western Washington University with 3 weekday roundtrips.

## Fleet

The WTA operates a fleet of 64 full-size buses, 52 paratransit vehicles, and 35 vanpool vans. As of 2017, their entire bus fleet consists of Gillig Low Floor 40-foot (12 m) buses that seat 32 to 40 passengers. Eight units ordered in 2012 are diesel-electric hybrids.