Mason Transit Authority

The Mason Transit Authority (MTA), formerly the Mason County Transportation Authority, is the public transit authority of Mason County, Washington, United States. It operates free bus service within the county, connecting the city of Shelton, Hoodsport, Grapeview, Allyn, Belfair, the native tribal reservations of the Skokomish and Squaxin people, and paid commuter service to Olympia in Thurston County, Brinnon in Jefferson County, and Bremerton in Kitsap County. The agency also provides general public dial-a-ride service, operates a vanpool fleet, a worker/driver program that provides commuter service to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, volunteer driver program for senior transportation, a supplemental service that is an after school activity bus and a community van program.

Mason Transit Authority
MTA bus on route 6 in Olympia
Commenced operationDecember 1, 1992 (1992-12-01)
Headquarters790 E Johns Prairie Road
Shelton, WA 98584
LocaleMason County, Washington
Service typeBus service
Routes9
Fleet18 buses, 23 minibuses and 40 vans[1]: 29 
Annual ridership585,534 (2014)[1]: 9 
Fuel typeDiesel and Gasoline
General ManagerDanette Brannin (Interim)[2]
Websitemasontransit.org

History

Public transit in Mason County was conceived with the establishment of a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) on September 22, 1987.[3] After two unsuccessful attempts at approving the PTBA in 1985 and 1988, a countywide vote on November 15, 1991 approved the Mason County Public Transportation Benefit Area and a sales tax of 0.2% to fund public transportation. Buses began operating on December 1, 1992.[4]

The Mason County Transit Authority officially changed its name to Mason Transit Authority in 2013.[4]

In 2015, the agency was named the Rural Transit System of the Year by the Community Transit Association of America, citing the completion of the county's transit-community center.[5]

Facilities

Transit-Community Center
The Transit-Community Center in Shelton

The Transit-Community Center is a combined community center and transit center located in Shelton that opened on April 1, 2015. It was originally a Washington National Guard armory built in the 1950s that was purchased by the MTA in 2006 and renovated at a cost of $9.9 million, funded by local sales tax and funding from the Federal Transit Administration.[6][7]

Services

Fares

Since its founding, MTA provided fare-free service for trips within Mason County; until 2023, it charged $1.50 for trips that traveled into neighboring counties.[4][8] Youth fares were removed in September 2022 as part of a statewide transit initiative.[9] On January 1, 2023, MTA removed all fares for fixed route and dial-a-ride services as part of a three-year pilot; the $2.50 fare for worker/driver routes to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard remained in place.[10][11]

Routes
Route Inbound terminus Outbound terminus Destinations served Saturday service Notes
1 Shelton Transit-Community Center Belfair Allyn Yes Route 1X trips continue towards Bremerton as routes 3 and 3X
2 Shelton Transit-Community Center Belfair Skokomish, Union Yes
3 Belfair Bremerton Gorst Yes Route 3X trips do not serve Old Belfair Highway
4 Loop around Belfair Yes
5 Loop around southern Shelton Shelton Transit-Community Center Yes
6 Shelton Transit-Community Center Olympia Transit Center Kamilche Yes Route 6X trips do not serve the Capital Mall
7 Loop around northern Shelton Shelton Transit-Community Center Yes
8 Shelton Brinnon Hoodsport Yes
9 Loop around central Shelton Shelton Transit-Community Center No
11 Shelton Transit-Community Center Lake Cushman Maintenance Office Shelton Transit-Community Center, Walmart, Hoodsport, Lake Cushman Maintenance Office Yes

Connecting services
A Squaxin Transit bus, one of the services that connects to MTA

Fleet

Current Bus Fleet
As of October 20, 2014[1]: 28–29 
Year Manufacturer Model Fleet Numbers Fuel Type Notes
1980 MCI MC-5C 904 Diesel
1999 Gillig Phantom 40' 805–806 Diesel
2002 Gillig Phantom 35' 807 Diesel
2003 Gillig Phantom 30' 808 Diesel
2005 Gillig Phantom 35' 809–810 Diesel
2005 Gillig Phantom 40' 811–812 Diesel
2007 Gillig Advantage 35' 300–302 Diesel
2010 Gillig Advantage 35' 303–305 Diesel
2013 Gillig Advantage 35' 306 Diesel

References
  1. "Mason Transit Authority Transit Development Plan 2014-2019 and 2013 Annual Report" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. October 21, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  2. Shephard Bull, Arla (February 18, 2016). "Mason Transit GM resigns under pressure". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. "Mason Transit Authority Resolution No. 2013-01" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. November 19, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  4. "History of MTA". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  5. Lucero, Jef (June 16, 2015). "Mason Transit Authority honored as 2015's best rural transportation system in America". WSDOT Blog. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  6. "About the Transit-Community Center". Mason Transit Authority. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. "Mason Transit Authority Opens Nation's First Transit-Community Center" (PDF) (Press release). Mason Transit Authority. April 3, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  8. "Fare Information". Mason Transit Authority. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  9. Baide, Matt (September 15, 2022). "County Briefs: Youth ride free on Mason Transit". Shelton-Mason County Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  10. "2023 Annual Budget & Compensation Plan" (PDF). Mason Transit Authority. December 20, 2022. p. 7. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  11. "Worker/Driver". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  12. "Regional Transit Connections". Mason Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
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