[SPOKANE, Wash.] Countdown until the new Spokane Transit City Line is up and running!
The new purple and black buses will start carrying commuters on July 15. Its six-mile route runs from Browne’s Addition to Spokane Community College with stops in downtown Spokane and the University District.
To celebrate City Line’s kickoff tomorrow, Spokane Transit Authority will hold five opening day celebrations near each of the bus stops from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The celebrations will have free food, games, prizes, souvenirs and live music. Chief Garry Park near SCC will host musical guest The Rusty Vikings along with food from Longhorn BBQ and ArctiKat Ice Cream.
Bus fare will be free until Labor Day, and then riders will pay the standard STA rate of $2 for a two-hour pass and free for people under 18.
The innovative, all-electric buses were inspired by the bus rapid transit system of cities like Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, as well as some mid-sized cities, like Cleveland. Spokane’s City Line buses will run every 15 minutes much of the day, eliminating the need to check schedules. This also means an increase in transportation to SCC with more buses heading there throughout the day.
The 60-foot buses utilize battery-electric technology and create zero emissions. Passengers can board on both the left and right sides of the bus, and it also has four-wheel drive for adverse conditions, like icy roads. STA predicts that City Line will bring in an estimated $175 million into the Spokane region over 20 years.
They have also beautified each stop with artwork from several different artists that represents the bus station’s surrounding area. SCC’s bus station artist, Jason Corcoran, painted a neighborhood with a wide river running through it.
On its website, STA quoted SCC History Instructor and Pride Club Advisor Stacy Kowtko: “The dynamic of the flowing river combined with the movement of the roads, bridges and neighborhoods very much represents how we (I do, anyways!) feel here at SCC about our place, role and contributions to our neighborhood, community and region.”
CCS provides education and services in a six-county region of Eastern Washington, operates Spokane Falls Community College and Spokane Community College and is the largest provider of Head Start and Early Childhood Education in the region. Each year, nearly 30,000 people – from infants to senior citizens – are provided educational services by CCS.