Valley Transit is a public transit operator in

Walla Walla County Walla Walla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,584. The county seat and largest city is Walla Walla. The county was formed on April 25, 1854 and is named after the Walla Wall ...

, Washington. It operates 10 routes in the cities of Walla Walla and College Place.

History

Valley Transit was founded as the Walla Walla County Public Transportation Benefit Area in 1979, becoming the county's

public transportation benefit area 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. Description Public transportation benefit areas are defined by Revised Code of Washin ...

. A 0.3 percent

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

was approved by voters on March 18, 1980, allowing for service to begin on January 5, 1981. In its first year of operation, the system carried 435,500 passengers. Until 1997, Valley Transit operated an intercity route to

Milton-Freewater, Oregon Milton-Freewater is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The city received its current name in 1951 when the neighboring rival cities of Milton and Freewater voted to merge. The population was 7,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of ...

, through an intergovernmental agreement; it has since been replaced by a bus operated by the city government of Milton-Freewater. On February 9, 2010, a 0.3 percent increase in sales tax was approved by 76 percent of voters to fund existing service and prevent service cuts.

Routes

Valley Transit - Market Station, Walla Walla, WA

Valley Transit operates 10 routes, operating from Monday to Saturday; on weekdays, normal services run from 6:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., while two "flex" routes operate from 5:50 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. on weekday evenings and 10:45 a.m. to 6:10 p.m on Saturdays. *Route 1 (Mainline): Wal-Mart to

Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just “CC” locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state. History Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the region ...

via Rose Street and Isaacs Avenue, Downtown Transfer Center, Whitman College *Route 2 (College Place Ciculator): Wal-Mart to Walla Walla University *Route 3 (2nd Avenue/Wa-Hi): Downtown Transfer Center to Walla Walla High School via Walla Walla General Hospital *Route 4 (Melrose/Alder): Downtown Transfer Center to K-Mart via Alder Street and Melrose Street *Route 5 (Fairgrounds): Downtown Transfer Center to Plaza Shopping Center/ Walla Walla County Fairgrounds via 9th Avenue *Route 6 (VA/Medical Loop): Downtown Transfer Center to Fort Walla Walla, VA Hospital *Route 7 (Pleasant Street Loop): Downtown Transfer Center to Pioneer Park *Route 9 (Pine Street Loop): Downtown Transfer Center to Washington State Penitentiary *East Loop (Flex): Downtown Transfer Center to Walla Walla Community College via Melrose Street, isaacs Avenue, Alder Street *West Loop (Flex): Downtown Transfer Center to Wal-Mart via Rose Street, College Avenue, Dalles Military Road

Intercity connections

Valley Transit connects to several intercity bus routes, operated by agencies, at the Walla Walla Transit Center in downtown Walla Walla: * Travel Washington's Grape Line, operating 3 daily round trips to Pasco * Kayak Public Transit, operated by the

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the federally recognized confederations of three Sahaptin-speaking Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia River Plateau region: the Cayuse, Umatilla, and ...

*Milton-Freewater Bus to

* Columbia County Public Transportation to

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

and Prescott

Fares

Valley Transit charges a 50-

cent Cent may refer to: Currency * Cent (currency), a one-hundredth subdivision of several units of currency * Penny (Canadian coin), a Canadian coin removed from circulation in 2013 * 1 cent (Dutch coin), a Dutch coin minted between 1941 and 1944 * ...

fare on its routes for passengers aged 5 years or older; those under 5, up to 3 per fare-paying rider, ride for free. Monthly passes and ticket books are also offered. During the summer months, Valley Transit runs fare-free to encourage newcomers to try the system.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.valleytransit.com/ Bus transportation in Washington (state) Transit agencies in Washington (state) Transportation in Walla Walla County, Washington