| Founded | 1981[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1000 Columbia Park Trail Richland, Washington |
| Service area | Tri-Cities, Washington |
| Service type | Transit, Paratransit |
| Routes | 22 |
| Hubs | 7 |
| Fleet | 65 (fixed-route) |
| Annual ridership | 5.5 million (2008) |
| Fuel type | Diesel (Bio-Diesel/Ethanol) |
| Chief executive | Timothy J. Fredrickson, General Manager |
| Web site | bft.org |
Ben Franklin Transit is the operator of public transportation in Franklin and Benton counties in the U.S. state of Washington. Seventeen routes provide local service for the three component urban areas of the Tri-Cities: Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco. Five routes connect the Tri-Cities metro area, as well as extend to the municipalities of Benton City, Prosser, and West Richland. Most routes run six days a week. Bus service runs between 6AM and 6PM and is replaced with a night service known as Trans+Plus[2] between 7PM and 12:30AM. There is also a preauthorized Dial-a-Ride service for those who are physically unable to use the regular transit bus service.[3]
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The roots of public transportation in the Tri-Cities region can be traced back to the beginnings of the Hanford Site, which was opened in 1943 in the midst of World War II, and ultimately produced the plutonium used in the Fat Man bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. General Electric, and later the Atomic Energy Commission, provided bus service as a way to bring its workers to and from the Hanford site to locales in the area, largely Richland.
In 1978, the voters of Benton County were asked to vote on a proposed county-wide bus system, but this measure was defeated, largely in part by the efforts of the Rockwell Hanford drivers, who feared that they would lose their jobs if the voters passed the proposal. (The PTBA later passed a resolution that the bus system would not compete with Rockwell Hanford). Two years later, a bus system proposal was brought to the voters again. However, this time officials largely scaled back the proposed service area to just Kennewick and Richland, and also included Pasco, located on the other side of the Columbia River in Franklin County. For a second time, the proposal was defeated. The next year saw better luck though, as the Benton-Franklin Public Transportation Benefit Area was officially formed on May 11, 1981 when voters in the service area voted to enact a sales tax levy of three-tenths of a cent to "finance a municipal corporation which would provide public transportation services in Benton and Franklin Counties."[4][5][6] May 10, 1982 saw the first day of passenger service for Ben Franklin Transit, ending with 2,043 total riders. Ridership continued to slowly grow after that, as more routes were launched and more buses were put into service. Ben Franklin Transit would later buy out the private companies that were running commuter bus service to the Hanford site, increasing its fleet and ridership in the process.
Originally operating with a fleet that largely consisted of used GM New Looks bought from the Mid-West, Ben Franklin Transit put out a bid in 1987 for 30 new buses. After some delays, the $4.5 million bid was awarded to the Gillig Corporation, who would be building a total of thirty-three 35-foot Gillig Phantom coaches at a cost of of $135,759 each. Gillig also won the contract to provide Ben Franklin Transit with eight 40-foot Gillig Phantom coaches in 1992, and all subsequent bids afterwards (with the exception of the nine Optima Opus coaches purchased in 2003–2004).
Big changes arrived in 1996, when voters approved the annexing of Benton City and Prosser into the Public Transit Benefit Area, with Benton City receiving public transit for the first time and Prosser Rural Transit being absorbed into Ben Franklin Transit. This would also see the establishment of a brand new inter-city bus line, Route 170. Finley joined the PTBA in 2005, and is now served by a demand-response system that is operated by a sub-contractor. Talks of Burbank being added into the service area have surfaced several times since Ben Franklin Transit began operating, but is highly unlikely to happen as Burbank is in Walla Walla County and Valley Transit (operating in the City of Walla Walla) would need to approve this.
In 2006 Ben Franklin Transit entered into an agreement with O2Diesel to test a blended fuel that included both bio-diesel and ethanol.[7][8] The following year, Ben Franklin Transit was awarded the Governor's Award for Sustainable Practices. [9][10]
There are 22 routes which serve a specific local area as well as routes which provide a connection between the cities.[11]
| No. | Area served | Transit Center(s) | Route description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Richland Local | Knight Street Transit Center | Stevens Center/Newcomer & Pike | Monday to Friday |
| 25 | Richland Local | Knight Street Transit Center | Stevens & McMurray/Wright & Thayer | Formerly Saturday only, replaced Routes 20/24 in September 2011 |
| 26 | Richland Local | Knight Street Transit Center | WSU Tri-Cities/Battelle Campus/Spengler & Davison | Monday to Friday; service to Battelle during peak hours only |
| 27 | Richland Local | Knight Street Transit Center | George Washington Way & Spengler | Saturday service in place of Rt. 23 and Rt. 26 |
| 39H | Hills West | Knight Street Transit Center & Three Rivers Transit Center | Wellsian/Wal-Mart/Columbia Park Trail/Leslie/Gage/Deschutes | |
| 39K | Keene Rd. | Knight Street Transit Center & Three Rivers Transit Center | Wellsian/Wal-Mart/Keene/Gage/Deschutes | |
| 41 | Kennewick Local | Huntington Transit Center & Dayton Transfer Point | 36th & Vancouver/10th and Washington | |
| 42 | Kennewick Local | Three Rivers Transit Center & Dayton Transfer Point | Kellogg/4th | |
| 47 | Kennewick Local | Huntington Transit Center & Dayton Transfer Point | Union/27th/Wal-Mart/Garfield | |
| 48 | Kennewick Local | Dayton Transfer Point & Three Rivers Transit Center | 10th/Columbia Center Blvd | |
| 50 | Kennewick Local | Three Rivers Transit Center | Columbia Center Shuttle (via Sears & JC Penney) | Also serves Gage/Steptoe and ShopKo/Ranch & Home |
| 60 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | 7th & Marie | |
| 62 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | 5th & Columbia | |
| 64 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | Alton & Elm | |
| 65 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | Elm & Lewis | |
| 66 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | Road 88 | Monday to Friday |
| 67 | Pasco Local | 22nd Avenue Transit Center | St. Thomas & Broadmoor | Serves CBC Monday-Friday only |
| 110 | Inter City | West Richland Transit Center & Three Rivers Transit Center[12] | Bombing Range Rd/Keene/Columbia Park Trail | Monday to Friday |
| 120 | Inter City | West Richland Transit Center, Knight Street Transit Center, Three Rivers Transit Center, Huntington Transit Center, & 22nd Avenue Transit Center[13] | ||
| 160 | Inter City | 22nd Avenue Transit Center - Dayton Transfer Point - Three Rivers Transit Center[14] | ||
| 170 | Inter City | Stacey Street Transit Center - Benton City Park & Ride - Knight Street Transit Center[15] | Additional Fare for Prosser,[16] only departs twice on Saturdays | |
| 225 | Inter City | 22nd Avenue Transit Center - Knight Street Transit Center[17] |
| Model | Motor | Seated Capacity | Length | Purchased | Status | Quantity | Fleet Numbers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillig Phantom | Detroit Diesel 6V-92 | 38 | 35' | 1988 | retired | 33 | 201-233 | As of September 17, 2011, 223 and 228 are being stored at Huntington TC. All other coaches have been fully retired. | |
| Gillig Phantom | Detroit Diesel 6V-92 | 43 | 40' | 1992 | in service | 8 | 234-241 | 237 was fully repainted in all-white, 238 and 241 have been updated with the new livery. This coaches are slated for retirement as of December 2011. | |
| MCI 102-B3 | Detroit Diesel 6V-92TA | 47 | 40' | 1993 | in service | 4 | 709-712 | Only coaches in the fleet not equipped with bike racks. At driver's discretion, bicycles can be stored in the storage bays underneath the bus. | |
| MCI 102-D3SS | Detroit Diesel Series 60 | 48 | 40' | 1995 | in service | 4 | 713-716 | These coaches have 2-slot bike racks, but at driver's discretion, you may be asked to use storage bays underneath the bus. | |
| Gillig Advantage | Detroit Diesel Series 40 | 38 | 40' | 1998 | in service | 3 | 242-244 | Acquired via a "piggyback" on a Intercity Transit order | |
| Optima Opus | Cummins B5.9 | 23 | 29' | 2003-2004 | in service | 9 | 501-509 | ||
| Gillig Low Floor | Cummins ISL | 40 | 40' | 2005-2006 | in service | 9 | 245-253 | ||
| Gillig Low Floor | Cummins ISL | 23 | 29' | 2007 | in service | 5 | 254-258 | Acquired via a "piggyback" on a CamTran order | |
| Gillig Low Floor | Cummins ISL | 40 | 40' | 2009 | in service | 9 | 259-267 | Acquired via a "piggyback" on a Laketran order | |
| Gillig Phantom | Cummins M11 | 29 | 30' | 2010 (1995) | in service | 4 | 268-271 | Ex C-TRAN 2036, 2043, 2045, and 2051 | |
| Gillig Phantom | Cummins M11 | 37 | 35' | 2010 (1995) | in service | 4 | 272-275 | Ex C-TRAN 2061-2063, 2065 | |
| Gillig Phantom | Cummins M11 | 45 | 40' | 2010 (1995) | in service | 5 | 276-280 | Ex C-TRAN 2087-2090, 2098 | |
| Gillig Phantom | Cummins C8.3 | 29 | 30' | 2011 (1993) | in service | 2 | 281-282 | Ex-Mason Transit 801-802 | |
| Gillig Phantom | Cummins ISM | 45 | 40' | 2011 (1999) | delivered | 9 | 283-291 | Ex-Sound Transit (originally acquired via a "piggyback" on a Community Transit order) | |
| Gillig Low Floor | 37 | 40' | 2012 | to be delivered late 2012/early 2013 | 4 | 292-295 | Acquired via a "piggyback" on a Laketran order |
Fares are either by exact cash or prepurchased ticket or pass. A day pass is also available from the driver.[16]
| Type | Cash Fare | 10-ride Tickets | Monthly Pass | Additional Fare (Prosser - Richland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular (Adult) | $1.25 | $10.00 | $22.00 | $1.00 |
| Youth | $.80 | $6.00 | $11.25 | $.50 |
| Medicare Cardholder & Disabled Persons | $.60 | $5.00 | $11.00 | $.50 |
| Senior Citizens (60 years and older), Children Age 5 and younger, and Dial-A-Ride eligible (Fixed Route) | Free | N.A. | N.A. | Free |
| Dial-A-Ride (Dial-A-Ride eligible only) | $1.25 | $10.00 | $22.00 | $1.00 |
| Trans + Plus | $3.00 | $22.00 | N.A. | N.A. |
Tri-City Taxi has been contracted to provide this service to areas of the Tri-Cities not served by the regular bus service. Short trip have no additional fare; longer trips will cost an additional $1.00 or $3.00 depending on the length of the trip.[19][20] Contact information can be found here.
To replace fixed route service which ends at 6PM, Ben Franklin Transit operates Trans+Plus as a ride-share program. Riders can call to reserve a ride each day Monday to Saturday starting at 2PM and ending at 12AM. The first scheduled rides will depart at 7PM, and the last will depart at 12:30AM. (It is recommended to call and reserve early as there are only a limited amount of rides available.) The standard fare is $3 per ride. When making a ride reservation, the Customer Service Agent will need to know how many people are riding, the departing address and destination address, and if you will need any assistance (i.e., a wheelchair van).
Passenger vans available for a monthly fare that is based on the van size and mileage. The cost of fuel, maintenance, and insurance is included in the fare. Ben Franklin Transit can also help you set up you own vanpool/carpool with you own vehicle.[21]