Pierce County Tests New Rural Routes in Pilot Transportation Project for Special Needs

Pierce County Community Connections has expanded its special needs transportation service via a four-month pilot project entitled “Beyond the Borders Connector," which provides eligible riders with a free link to services in rural communities.

The transportation program is administered by Pierce County and serves seniors, individuals with disabilities, and people with low incomes. The new routes are available in Sumner/ Bonney Lake/Prairie Ridge, as well as, Spanaway/Roy/Yelm, and connect with Pierce and Sound Transit stops.

Editor's Note: The project was introduced during the Sumner City Council this week and began on Friday, March 1. Read more.

The Beyond the Borders (BTB) Connector offers eligible riders transportation to work, medical or social services appointments, the grocery store, and other destinations at no cost to the rider. To ride the Connector, residents must call 2-1-1 to register and then complete an eligibility screening.

What's New

The BTB program has been around for the last 10 years, said Community Connections spokesperson Scott Kinney.

In the past, BTB took riders from home to a set destination and the cost of between $48 to $50 per round trip ride for the county, Kinney said. 

"It was expensive to do that," he said. "We've had Beyond The Borders in place for years, but we weren't giving a lot of rides to people. It was about how can we combine this to get more people on one shuttle, on one bus."

The pilot project builts on that foundation: BTB is now expanded to include five routes served by wheelchair lift-equipped 13-passenger buses. The buses have timed stops along the routes, but can also deviate from the routes to pick up individuals who need a lift-equipped trip, if they live within a half mile of the route.

Five routes are currently running seven days a week in four geographic areas:

• Bonney Lake and Prairie Ridge, with service to Rhododendron Park and Ponderosa Estates
• Sumner, with connection Pierce Transit and Sound Transit
• Bonney Lake / Sumner circulator, connecting routes in the two cities and the two transits.
• The Roy Y, with connection to Pierce Transit at the Wal-Mart on Mt Highway, and to Yelm, with connection to Intercity Transit
• Spanaway, with connection to Pierce Transit at the Wal-Mart on Mountain Highway, and the South Hill Transit Center on Meridian

Riders who do not live in these areas are still able to call BTB for the traditional appointment-based service, Kinney said.

Riders Needed for Data Gathering

The four-month pilot program is entiredly grant-funded and as of right now will end on June 30 unless the agency is able to secure future grants, Kinney said.

“During this four month window, we will measure the transportation needs of seniors, low-income residents and people with disabilities in rural Pierce County," said Corey Lew, manager of the Community Connections Housing and Community Development Division.

The data gathered will detemine how the agency will go about seeking out further grants to continue the program, Kinney said.

"We really want to make it successful," he said.

Community Connections contracts with Paratransit Services to coordinate eligibility screenings, drivers, and vehicles for the pilot project.

More details about routes, stops and schedules are posted online at www.piercecountywa.org/cc and attached with this story. All riders must complete an eligibility screening to take advantage of the service. There is no restriction to the number of times a rider can use the Connector. For more information and to register, residents should call 2-1-1 or 1-800-572-4357.