WA: New RiverCities Vancouver commuter bus fills gap left by Lower Columbia CAP

A stopgap effort prompted by the possibility of state funding may prove to be a lifeline for locals who rely on public transportation to get from Longview to Vancouver and beyond.

The Cowlitz Transit Authority has approved a new RiverCities Transit commuter service along Interstate 5 starting in July that will help meet the needs of commuters after Lower Columbia CAP's transportation services discontinue at the end of June.

The Cowlitz Transit Authority approved earlier this month a new RiverCities service running weekdays starting July 1 with routes departing from the Longview Transit Center to destinations into Clark County designed to help link riders to Vancouver and TriMet services in the greater Portland metropolitan area.

The board approved the route for six months, but RiverCities Transit Manager Jim Seeks said there is hope the state could fund the program for two years. A proviso in the Washington House Transportation Budget tentatively lines out funding for the service.

He described the line item as somewhat of a surprise. "It slipped in," Seeks told the board about the proposed house budget at the April 9 meeting.

The final state funding approval will need to continue through the legislative process and through the governor in order to pass. The passage of the state budget will likely involve a special session after its set April 27 cutoff, Seeks expects, ending "very close to July 1."

Transit board member Lisa Alexander, a Kelso city councilmember, spoke in favor of a potential six-month "trial run" at the meeting, while the transit authority awaits word on funding. Board member and Kelso City councilmember Keenan Harvey made the motion to approve the commuter route, and Erik Halvorson, a Longview city councilmember seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

"I just wanted to offer something that didn't just completely strand those people that had been using that service." — Jim Seeks, RiverCities Transit manager

Addressing the need

In an email to The Daily News, Seeks said the Cowlitz Transit Authority had very short notice about the cancelation of Lower Columbia CAP's transportation services, which were covered by competitive Washington State Department of Transportation grants.

The Cowlitz Transit Authority learned the grants were open "literally a day or two" after the due date, Seeks said.

Wondering if RiverCities Transit could address the need, Seeks said his agency worked swiftly with the Washington State Transit Association, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments. RiverCities presented its proposal to Cowlitz Transit Authority in December, and the board held a public hearing in January.

Lower Columbia CAP public, senior transit to end in June

In addition to rising costs, CAP has also struggled to recruit drivers.

Seeks told the board during the April 9 meeting that the cost of the commuter route from July through December is budgeted at $209,701. The transit authority is asking the state to pay 80% of capital costs and 50% of operating costs.

Until state funding comes through, Seeks told the board of plans for a reduced-service route he developed within the transit authority's $104,850 contribution.

"I thought, 'Well, can we do something with that amount of money?'" Seeks said. "Of course, it's up to you to decide to do that."

Seeks' proposal — coming in under the budget at an estimated $95,778 — includes a morning and an evening round-trip stop in Kalama, Woodland, the Cowlitz Reservation at ilani and the Vancouver Transit Center weekdays morning and night. A truncated midday trip would make stops from Longview to Kalama, Woodland and ilani, and is designed to connect to C-TRAN's Route 48 to Vancouver.

"That would allow trips a day instead of six, but it's three more than would be there than would be there after June 30," Seeks said.

CAP route numbers

According to numbers provided by Seeks, in the Lower Community CAP's last year of full service it averaged 1,130 riders per month. Of those riders, 85% rode the I-5 commuter service at least once a week including 37% daily.

Surveys showed that riders often used the service to travel to work, to school and for medical appointments including veterans headed to the VA hospital in Portland.

If the state funding proviso doesn't go through, Seeks told the board they could discontinue the service "through a normal process" involving public hearings.

"I just wanted to offer something that didn't just completely strand those people that had been using that service," Seeks said.

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