Grant Transit Authority

Public Transit Operator

Grant Transit AuthorityFounded| November 5, 1996 (1996-11-05)

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Headquarters| 116 W 5th Ave
Moses Lake, Washington
Locale| Grant County, Washington
Service type| Bus service
Routes| 13
Annual ridership| 39,215
Fuel type| Diesel
General Manager| Greg Wright
Website| granttransit.com

The Grant Transit Authority is a public transit operator in Grant County, Washington. It operates 13 routes, including intercity services that converge in the city of Moses Lake. The agency's routes have been zero-fare since 2020.

## History

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A GTA bus at Ephrata station

Grant Transit Authority began as a demonstration project with four buses in November 1995. The project, deemed a success after one year, led to a November 1996 vote to establish a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) to fund a permanent system. The vote passed, creating a 0.2 percent sales tax and allowing regular service to begin and expand the following year.[1] The first buses began operating on November 5, 1996.[2]

The PTBA boundaries were expanded in 1998 to include Quincy, which had opted out of the 1996 vote, thus encompassing all of Grant County.[1] The Grant Transit Authority previously partnered with a local non-profit organization, People for People, for operations but became independent in October 2013.[1]

In 2015, construction began on a new transit center in downtown Moses Lake.[3] The transit center opened on August 1, 2017, with an indoor waiting area, a customer service desk, and several bays.[4] The Grant Transit Authority debuted inter-county commuter services during the same month, connecting Moses Lake to Ellensburg and Wenatchee on weekdays.[4][5] Several routes were consolidated in a major service change that took effect in April 2019.[6]

The Grant Transit Authority temporarily ceased collection of fares in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington. The policy was extended several times and made permanent on September 1, 2022, after the state government approved a statewide elimination of youth transit fares.[7] Prior to 2020, the adult and youth fare for all service had been $1, with a reduced fare of $0.50 for eligible seniors.[8]

## References

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1. ^ a b c "History". Grant Transit Authority. 2001. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
2. ^ Schweizer, Cheryl (November 3, 2016). "Grant Transit Authority to celebrate 20th birthday". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
3. ^ Sukola, Tiffany (September 11, 2014). "GTA proposes Moses Lake transit center". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2016.[permanent dead link]
4. ^ a b Schweizer, Cheryl (August 1, 2017). "Grant Transit Authority opens doors at multimodal facility". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
5. ^ Hyland, Natalie (August 12, 2017). "New Grant County buses running between Ellensburg, Moses Lake". Ellensburg Daily Record. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
6. ^ Pinkerton, Rachal (March 29, 2019). "GTA to change routes Monday". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
7. ^ "Zero Fares". Grant Transit Authority. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
8. ^ Pinkerton, Rachal (April 3, 2019). "GTA changes routes schedules, times". Columbia Basin Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2024.

## External links

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* Official website