Travel Washington is an intercity bus service in the U.S. state of Washington funded by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). It has four routes that connect major cities to other modes, including Amtrak and Greyhound Lines.
 | |
| Parent | Washington State Department of Transportation |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | December 2007 |
| Headquarters | 310 Maple Park Avenue SE Olympia, Washington |
| Service area | Washington state |
| Service type | Intercity bus |
| Alliance | Greyhound Lines |
| Routes | 4 |
| Operator | Northwestern Stage Lines, Greyhound Lines, Bellair Charters and Airporter |
| Website | wsdot.wa.gov |
History
editGreyhound Lines formerly ran extensive intercity service in Washington state that was cut in 2004 as part of a regional restructure to focus on profitable routes.[1] In 2007, the Washington State Department of Transportation began planning for an intercity bus network pilot project.[2]
The first Travel Washington bus route to open was the Grape Line, which began service in December 2007. It was also the first bus service to be funded through a private-public partnership between the Federal Transit Administration and private operators, with the former matching the latter's investments with grant money.[3]
The Dungeness Line's contract was transferred to Greyhound in 2018 and came with the addition of a new stop in Port Townsend.[4] A 2019 plan proposed several extensions and new corridors for the system, including U.S. Route 12 between Aberdeen and Yakima; service to Republic from Tonasket and Colville; and service on several Palouse routes.[5]
Routes
editTravel Washington consists of 4 routes connecting major cities in Washington to other intercity transit services offered by Amtrak, Greyhound and Northwestern Stage Lines, as well as regional airports in Seattle and Pasco. Most stops are sited at major transfer points with local bus systems.
Routes are named after Washingtonian products and resources, such as Dungeness crab and apples.[6][7]
| Route | Termini | Other stops | Length[8] | Daily roundtrips[8] |
Began service[8] |
Operator | Website | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern/western | Northern/eastern | mi | km | ||||||
| Apple Line | Ellensburg | Omak | George, Quincy, Wenatchee (Columbia Station), Orondo, Chelan Falls, Pateros, Brewster, Malott, Okanogan | 49 | 79 | 1 | October 28, 2008[9] | Northwestern Stage Lines | appleline.us |
| Dungeness Line | Port Angeles | Seattle–Tacoma International Airport | Sequim, Port Townsend, Discovery Bay, Downtown Seattle (King Street Station) | 98 | 158 | 2 | September 17, 2008[6] | Greyhound Lines | dungeness-line.com |
| Gold Line | Spokane International Airport | Kettle Falls | Downtown Spokane (Spokane Intermodal Center & STA Plaza), Deer Park, Loon Lake, Chewelah, Addy, Arden, Colville | 80 | 130 | 2 | September 8, 2010[10] | Bellair Charters and Airporter | gold-line.us |
| Grape Line | Tri-Cities Airport | Walla Walla Regional Airport | Pasco (Pasco Intermodal Train Station), Burbank, Wallula, Touchet | 160 | 260 | 3 | December 10, 2007[3] | Bellair Charters and Airporter | grapeline.us |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Koenig, David (June 26, 2004). "Greyhound cutbacks will affect state routes". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. p. B2.
- ^ "About the 2007 Intercity Network Plan". Washington State Department of Transportation. 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b "WSDOT Holds Ribbon Cutting for Travel Washington Grape Line" (Press release). Washington State Department of Transportation. December 10, 2007. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ Gottlieb, Paul (June 29, 2018). "Greyhound to take over Dungeness Line, adding Port Townsend stop". Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ "Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program 2019 Plan Update" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. December 2019. pp. 28–29. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Casey, Jim (September 17, 2008). "New bus service connects North Olympic Peninsula to rest of nation". Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "Grape Line celebrates 4 years of transit service" (Press release). Washington State Department of Transportation. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c Fravel, Frederic D.; Barboza Jr., Reyes (2012). "Development and Application of a Rural Intercity Demand Model" (PDF). Journal of Public Transportation. 15 (3). Tampa, Florida: Center for Urban Transportation Research: 34. doi:10.5038/2375-0901.15.3.2. ISSN 1077-291X. OCLC 30755822. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "Travel Washington Apple Line provides needed bus service in North Central Washington" (Press release). Washington State Department of Transportation. October 28, 2008. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "Northeast Washington strikes gold with new bus service" (Press release). Washington State Department of Transportation. September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2016.