Public transportation benefit area
Public transit operators in Washington state
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A public transportation benefit area, abbreviated as PTBA, is a type of public-benefit corporation for public transit operators in the U.S. state of Washington. It was authorized in 1975 along with a funding mechanism that uses sales taxes levied within a district. As of 2025[update], there are 21 PTBAs that cover most of Washington's counties and large cities, with the exception of Seattle.
Public transportation benefit areas are defined by Revised Code of Washington Chapter 36.57A, and are described as special taxing districts created solely for the purpose of funding public transportation. Within Washington state, there are 31 systems that cover all or parts of 23 counties and serve 132 cities. The majority of transit systems in the state are operated by public transportation benefit areas, with the exception of King County Metro (a metropolitan county system) and Sound Transit (a regional transit authority) in the Seattle metropolitan area; as well as county transportation authorities in Columbia County and Grays Harbor County;[1] and city-owned systems in Everett, Pullman, and Yakima.[2][3][4] Only two PTBAs serve more than one county: Ben Franklin Transit in Benton and Franklin counties; and Link Transit in Chelan and Douglas counties. These systems are allowed up to 15 members on their board of directors.[1]
PTBAs are granted the authority to impose a voter-authorized sales tax of up to 0.9 percent and motor vehicle excise tax of up to 0.4 percent within its boundaries. Community Transit, the PTBA of Snohomish County, was granted a sales tax limit of 1.2 percent in 2015 after exhausting the existing 0.9 percent.[5][6]: 1 PTBAs with boundaries on the Puget Sound are also authorized to provide passenger ferry service in addition to traditional bus, paratransit and vanpool services.[3] PTBAs are governed by a board of directors of not more than nine elected officials, supplemented by a union representative. In Thurston County, the board is allowed to have citizen members; in Mason County, elected officials on the board include representatives from school boards, fire districts, and hospital districts.[1]
A special type of PTBA for unincorporated areas within counties, called unincorporated transportation benefit areas.[7] Garfield County had the last active unincorporated transportation benefit area until it was converted into a county authority in 2016.[2]
History
On July 1, 1975, Governor Daniel J. Evans signed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill No. 2280 into law, creating the PTBA.[8] The bill had been proposed by the Snohomish County Transportation Authority (SNO-TRAN), who would later use the legislation to establish the state's first PTBA, the Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, later renamed Community Transit, in November 1975.[9][10] Fourteen PTBAs were created from 1975 to 1980, but several had yet to begin operating. Several city systems remained operational, while more rural areas formed PTBAs.[11]
List of public transportation benefit areas
As of 2025[update], Washington has 21 public transportation benefit areas that serve a total population of over 4 million residents.[1][12]
| Agency | Established[13] | Area | Population[12] | Jurisdiction | Fixed-route ridership (2024)[14] |
Sales tax rate[2] | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asotin County PTBA | May 27, 2003[15] | 636 sq mi (1,647 km2) | 22,750 | Asotin County | 47,147 | 0.2% | ridethevalley |
| Ben Franklin Transit | May 11, 1981[16] | 618 sq mi (1,601 km2)[17] | 290,240 | Central Benton County and Pasco in Franklin County | 2,786,983 | 0.6% | bft |
| C-Tran | November 4, 1980 | 627 sq mi (1,624 km2) | 461,659 | Clark County | 4,657,393 | 0.7% | c-tran |
| Clallam Transit | July 24, 1979[18] | 1,753 sq mi (4,540 km2)[19] | 78,650 | Clallam County | 803,963 | 0.6% | clallamtransit |
| Community Transit | June 1, 1976[20][21] | 1,308 sq mi (3,388 km2)[22] | 644,949 | Snohomish County (excluding Everett) | 7,825,896 | 1.2% | communitytransit |
| Grant Transit Authority | November 1996[23] | 2,679 sq mi (6,939 km2) | 106,250 | Grant County | 137,795 | 0.2% | gta-ride |
| Intercity Transit | September 16, 1980 | 97 sq mi (251 km2)[24] | 321,349 | Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm in Thurston County | 4,242,911 | 1.2% | intercitytransit |
| Island Transit | November 4, 1980 | 208 sq mi (539 km2) | 88,700 | Island County | 261,289 | 0.9% | islandtransit |
| Jefferson Transit | November 4, 1980 | 1,803 sq mi (4,670 km2)[25] | 33,825 | Jefferson County | 242,342 | 0.9% | jeffersontransit |
| Kitsap Transit | May 16, 1978 | 395 sq mi (1,023 km2) | 288,900 | Kitsap County | 1,655,636 | 1.1%[a] | kitsaptransit |
| Lewis County Transit[b] | November 2, 1976 | 13.1 sq mi (34 km2)[27] | 26,245 | Centralia and Chehalis in Lewis County | 219,879 | 0.2% | lewiscountytransit |
| Link Transit | November 21, 1989[28] | 3,500 sq mi (9,065 km2)[28] | 123,176 | Chelan and Douglas counties | 1,233,837 | 0.5% | linktransit |
| Mason Transit Authority | November 15, 1991[29] | 968 sq mi (2,507 km2)[30] | 67,800 | Mason County | 481,207 | 0.6% | masontransit |
| Pacific Transit System | November 6, 1979 | 933 sq mi (2,416 km2) | 23,950 | Pacific County | 68,189 | 0.3% | pacifictransit |
| Pierce Transit | November 6, 1979 | 292 sq mi (756 km2)[31] | 612,378 | Central and northern Pierce County | 6,769,493 | 0.6% | piercetransit |
| RiverCities Transit | September 15, 1987[32] | 27 sq mi (70 km2)[33] | 51,470 | Kelso and Longview in Cowlitz County | 271,500 | 0.3% | rctransit |
| Skagit Transit | November 1992[34] | 750 sq mi (1,942 km2)[35] | 118,860 | Northern and western Skagit County | 501,584 | 0.4% | skagittransit |
| Spokane Transit Authority | March 10, 1981[36] | 248 sq mi (642 km2)[36] | 481,616 | Central Spokane County | 7,857,689 | 0.8%[37] | spokanetransit |
| TranGO | November 5, 2013[38] | 5,034 sq mi (13,038 km2)[39] | 40,615 | Okanogan County | 56,530 | 0.4%[40] | okanogantransit |
| Valley Transit | March 18, 1980[41] | 25 sq mi (65 km2)[42] | 54,252 | Southeastern Walla Walla County | 455,860 | 0.6% | valleytransit |
| Whatcom Transportation Authority | March 10, 1983[43] | 776 sq mi (2,010 km2)[44] | 240,415 | Western Whatcom County | 3,760,005 | 0.6% | ridewta |
See also
- Public transportation in Washington (state)
- Non-PTBA transit systems in Washington state:
- Everett Transit
- Grays Harbor Transit
- King County Metro
- Pullman Transit
- Sound Transit – regional transit authority of Seattle metropolitan area
- Yakima Transit
Notes
- 0.3% of the PTBA rate is allocated for Kitsap Fast Ferries service.[2]
- Until 2024, Lewis County Transit was named Twin Transit.[26]