Swift Bus Rapid Transit

Swift

A Swift BRT bus
Overview
Locale	SR-99, Snohomish County
Transit type	Bus Rapid Transit
Number of stations	28
Website	Swift Schedule
Operation
Began operation	2009
Operator(s)	Community Transit
Number of vehicles	15 New Flyer DE60LFA diesel-electric hybrid buses
System map Legend Amtrak to Portland/Seattle Sounder to Seattle Everett Station Amtrak to Vancouver, BC/Chicago Wetmore Avenue Colby Avenue 40th Street 41st Street 50th Street Pecks Drive Madison Street State Route 526 Casino Road 4th Avenue 112th Street Airport Road Lincoln Way State Route 525 148th Street International (174th Street) Cherry Hill (176th Street) Crossroads (196th Street) Heron (200th Street) Gateway (216th Street) 216th Street 238th Street State Route 104 Aurora Village Transit Center RapidRide E Line to Downtown Seattle

Swift Bus Rapid Transit is a bus rapid transit system in Snohomish County, Washington, that is operated by Community Transit. The line extends from Everett Station to the Aurora Village Transit Center and opened on 29 November 2009 at a cost of about $29 million.^[1][2]

Swift ridership climbed during the first three months of service. Weekday boardings were 1,699 per day in December 2009, 2,367 in January 2010, and 2,660 in February 2010.^[3]

Service

Swift BRT has begun service with a 16.7-mile line that travels north on SR 99 from the Aurora Village Transit Center, ending at Everett Station. The route utilizes 7 miles of transit only lanes, and 10 miles where buses have signal priority at intersections. It replaced the old Community Transit route 100 in 2009. Service runs every 12 minutes on weekdays from 6am to 7pm and every 20 minutes in the evening and on Saturdays. There are 12 station pairs and one 1 southbound-only "opportunity" - along the route, serving the cities of Shoreline, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, and Everett.

Equipment and stations

Crossroads station at night, showing the distinctive lit beacon and the yellow and black textured strip

The buses and stations used by Swift have many bus rapid transit features.

The 15 vehicles are 62-foot articulated buses with roomier seating for 43 persons. Including standing passengers, the buses can transport 100 people each.^[2] The buses have three doors and passengers can get on or off at any door. Wheelchairs board at the front door and are secured via a passive restraint system that doesn't require the driver to help; bicycles board at the rear door, and are stowed in bike racks just inside. The buses have especially low floors, which combined with raised curbs at stations makes near level boarding. This is especially useful for speeding up wheelchair access.

Larger than a standard bus shelter, Swift stations are designed to appear more like miniature light rail stations. Stations are identified by a roadside marker and have ample lighting, translucent, graffiti-resistant weather barriers, and a real-time monitor to let waiting passengers know when the next bus will arrive. Frequent visits are made by transit police as well as regular upkeep of the facility. All passengers pay their fares before boarding. Passengers without transit passes need to buy a ticket at a vending machine located at the station. The combination of off-board fare collection, three door loading, and level boarding onto the buses results in faster boarding and less time spent at each stop. Buses only stop at Swift stations, and stations are located about a mile apart.

The BRT features of the route along with avoiding a transfer from Community Transit to Everett Transit to complete travel to Everett Station shorten time spent on an end-to-end trip in the corridor by about 30%.^[4]

Station listing

References