Valley Transit is a

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

operator in

Walla Walla County Walla Walla County ( ) is a county located in the southeast of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,584. The county seat and most populous city is Walla Walla. The county was formed on April 25, 1854 and i ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It operates 10 routes in the cities of Walla Walla and

College Place College Place is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It neighbors the larger city of Walla Walla, Washington, Walla Walla, and had a population of 9,902 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. College Place is the hom ...

. Since 2022, Valley Transit's buses have been fare-free.

History

Valley Transit was founded as the Walla Walla County Public Transportation Benefit Area in 1979, becoming the county's public transportation benefit area. A 0.3 percent

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

was approved by voters on March 18, 1980, allowing for service to begin on January 5, 1981. In its first year of operation, the system carried 435,500 passengers. Until 1997, Valley Transit operated an intercity route to

Milton-Freewater, Oregon Milton-Freewater is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The city received its current name in 1951 when neighboring rival cities of Milton and Freewater voted to merge. The population was 7,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of t ...

, through an intergovernmental agreement; it has since been replaced by a bus operated by the city government of Milton-Freewater. On February 9, 2010, a 0.3 percent increase in sales tax was approved by 76 percent of voters to fund existing service and prevent service cuts. In March 2020, Valley Transit eliminated its normal routes due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and reduced service to hour-long loops and a series of shuttles. Fares were also temporarily eliminated. Normal services were restored in March 2023 after staffing levels had recovered.

Routes

, Valley Transit operates 10 routes in Walla Walla and surrounding communities. These routes generally run every 30 to 60 minutes from Monday to Saturdays. The agency also connects to several intercity bus routes, operated by other providers, at the Walla Walla Transit Center in downtown Walla Walla: * Travel Washington's Grape Line, operating 3 daily round trips to Pasco *

Kayak Public Transit ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut language, Inuktitut word ''wikt:qajaq#Inuktitut, qajaq'' (). In British Engl ...

, operated by the

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the federally recognized confederations of three Sahaptin-speaking Native Americans of the United States, Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia River Plate ...

*Milton-Freewater Bus to

Columbia County Public Transportation Columbia most often refers to: * Columbia (personification), the historical personification of the United States * Columbia University, a private university in New York City * Columbia Pictures, an American film studio owned by Sony Pictures * Co ...

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

and

Prescott Prescott may refer to: People Given name * Prescott E. Bloom, American lawyer and politician * Prescott Bush, American banker and politician * Samuel Prescott Bush, American industrialist * Prescott F. Hall, American lawyer, author and eugenicist ...

Fares

Valley Transit began offering fare-free bus and dial-a-ride service during the summer in the mid-2010s to boost ridership. The fare-free service was extended to year-round beginning in 2022 as part of a four-year pilot program funded by the state government's

Move Ahead Washington Move or The Move may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an American online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move, a Japanese car * PlayStation Move, a motion ...

package. The agency's fares were formerly 50 cents for passengers aged 5 years or older and free to those under 5 (up to three per fare-paying rider). Monthly passes and ticket books were also offered. Valley Transit began using smartphone payments through Token Transit in 2018.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.valleytransit.com/ Bus transportation in Washington (state) Transit agencies in Washington (state) Transportation in Walla Walla County, Washington Free public transport