Community Transit, Everett Transit resume work toward consolidating transit systems

Community Transit and Everett Transit are resuming work toward unifying the two agencies to form a consolidated and expanded transit network to better serve Everett and Snohomish County, Wash., residents.

In the coming months, the parties note that they will develop an interlocal agreement for the city’s annexation into Community Transit’s district. The proposal will be considered by the Everett City Council and the Community Transit Board of Directors this fall. The move responds to Everett’s rising population and growing demand for transit, in preparation to integrate local bus networks with the upcoming arrival of light rail in Everett.

“Consolidation will make it easier for people to travel between Everett and existing Link light rail service in Lynnwood and throughout the county,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “It will provide the local bus connections essential to support future light-rail service in Everett. The Sound Transit Board is currently debating the revised timeline for these once-in-a-lifetime Link investments in Everett. It’s now more important than ever to demonstrate to the Sound Transit Board that we’re ready to support a strong, regional transportation system that works in lockstep with Sound Transit’s network.”

With a consolidated transit network, the parties note that riders traveling both from and to Everett will benefit from more frequent service and a reduced need for transfers, which is expected to make choosing transit more convenient. 

"Through this annexation, we can offer Everett residents more connections, more destinations and more frequent buses. We can provide shorter waits, more service all day long and through the evening hours," said Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz. “We are in a position to make travel smoother and easier between Everett and other destinations across Snohomish County and our entire region. Every current rider, as well as every new rider we attract, is someone who will experience access to faster and more frequent travel and more seamless connections.”

The work to shape an interlocal agreement will build on intensive earlier work, according to the parties. In response to the city of Everett’s Rethink Transit study during 2022 and 2023, the city of Everett and Community Transit initiated a joint process under the banner of More Transit Together to consider a strategy of growth through consolidation. In September 2023, the agencies completed the More Transit Together Report, outlining an initial vision for a consolidated transit network. After what the parties describe as “substantial joint efforts,” in early 2024, they announced they would temporarily pause the work to focus on addressing other near-term priorities.

If the interlocal agreement is approved by the Everett City Council and the Community Transit Board, the Community Transit Board—which would be reconfigured to include representation for the city of Everett—will oversee planning and public engagement processes to shape how the interlocal agreement will be implemented. The board would also oversee full details of an integrated and expanded network, along with other policy actions to support the consolidation. While this planning and engagement work is completed, both changes to the Everett Transit and Community Transit networks would be phased in and remain largely as-is during a transition period of approximately one year.

“We need smart approaches to the future of a strong, connected, regional transit system that gets people where they need to go as our community continues to grow,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “I think this is a positive and forward-thinking step by Mayor Franklin and our partners at Everett and Community Transit, who already do so much to connect our county. I believe this will help our residents as they work, learn, play and otherwise move through our region.”

The planning work during this period will span fixed-route bus services and other transit investments, including expanding investments in microtransit, paratransit and vanpool services. Strategies for merging paratransit services and adopting a unified fare structure will represent top priorities, according to the parties.

The parties’ proposed interlocal agreement will be designed under provisions of Washington State Law, which allow the annexation to be approved by actions of the Everett City Council and Community Transit Board following a public hearing. 

When Community Transit was formed in 1976—50 years ago—the city of Everett opted to maintain a city-only transit system rather than join the network that grew to provide service spanning Snohomish County’s cities as well as rural areas. As regional growth continues, creating more demand for seamless connections, Franklin emphasized it is unsustainable that the county’s largest city continue to be served by a separate transit system with inadequate resources.  

Everett is currently one of only a handful of cities in the state with its own transit system and the only one in the Puget Sound region.

“Transportation infrastructure represents one of the most important levers for promoting economic opportunity, jobs and a high quality of life,” said Economic Alliance Snohomish County President and CEO Ray Stephanson. “Moving to a single, integrated network serving our county is important to every resident, whether they currently ride transit or not.”

The interlocal agreement that the parties develop in the coming months will ensure that the city of Everett is equitably compensated for assets transferred to Community Transit as part of the consolidation.

If the interlocal agreement is approved by the agencies’ respective legislative bodies, under state law, Community Transit’s sales tax rate for other cities throughout Snohomish County—1.2%—would apply in Everett. As of now, the parties note that local transit services in the county’s largest city are constrained because its transit sales tax is half the level of neighboring cities.

Ilgenfritz and Franklin emphasized understanding that this proposed consolidation raises questions among employees and pledged to work together to address them, in compliance with Washington State law.  

“Community Transit owes its track record of achieving steady ridership growth to our dedicated union employees who keep our services running every day,” Ilgenfritz said. “With this annexation, our workforce will grow, both by welcoming Everett Transit employees and by hiring still more staff to support expected service growth in the near- and long- term. One of our most important strategic priorities at Community Transit is continuously working to strengthen the employee experience. I am committed to protecting employees’ financial interests while providing a positive experience during this transition.”