Pierce Transit Bus Rebalancing Will Remove Hundreds Of Stops

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Pierce Transit will be removing 214 of its bus stops starting next spring as part of a "rebalancing" effort to cut down on little-used stops that clog up commutes.

The plan, the "Bus Stop Balancing Project", was first pitched by Pierce Transit last March. In their initial proposal, Transit suggested eliminating 407 bus stops — roughly 19 percent of their total stops. However, after months of deliberation and public input, that number was whittled down to 214 stops, just over 10 percent of Transit's 2,100 current stops.

The Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners finalized the proposal last month, which is set to go into effect starting March 20, 2022.

In an effort to continue providing service to Pierce County residents equally, none of the stops are clustered in the same area: removals range from Lakewood, to Tacoma, Puyallup, Federal Way and Gig Harbor.

>> See A full map of which stops are staying and which are being cut.

According to Pierce Transit, one of their most common customer complaints is that it takes too long for buses to reach their destination. They say this reduction in stops will free up buses which are slowed down pulling in and out of traffic, picking up passengers and collecting fare at these lesser-used stops.

"A significant component of delays for a bus trip, is having bus stops that are too close to each other," explains the agency in a promotional video on Bus Stop Balancing. "The time spent picking up and dropping off passengers really adds up."

Pierce Transit explains that they identified which stops they want to keep and which to remove by considering several issues, including:

• Public safety
• Accessibility
• Equity
• Proximity to other bus stops
• Ridership at that stop versus ridership at nearby stops
• Transfer points and major destinations
• Cost of repairs

The agency also says many of the stops selected for removal were just too close together. State guidelines say stops should be about 1/8 of a mile apart in urban areas and 1/4 mile apart outside the city. Pierce Transit says one of their routes has 21 bus stops across just over a mile of road.

>> Learn more about the Bus Stop Balancing Project from Pierce Transit.