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One year ago, City Line launched, ushering in a new era of connectivity, sustainability, and community pride for the Spokane region. The six-mile route is Eastern Washington’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, connecting Spokane’s historic Browne’s Addition and Spokane Community College by way of downtown Spokane and the University District, including Gonzaga University.
Opening day on July 15, 2023, was marked by festivities and block party celebrations at five different City Line station locations. These celebrations featured live music, free food and promotional items, and family activities. Over 4,400 riders showed up on the first day of service, packing the entire fleet of cutting-edge, zero-emission buses.
“It was an amazing experience for City Line’s first day,” recalled Carly Cortright, STA’s Chief Communications & Customer Service Officer. “There was something for everyone, whether you wanted to learn more about the bus technology and service, or if you wanted a cool souvenir, or just great food. People showed up for a truly memorable moment in our region’s history.”
Three days later on July 18, a ceremonial ribbon cutting was held at Gonzaga University, featuring a stage of guest speakers, including STA’s CEO E. Susan Meyer, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, former Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool (currently acting FTA Administrator), Washington State Senator Andy Billig, Spokane County Commissioner and current STA Board Chair Al French, former Spokane City Mayor Nadine Woodward, former Spokane City Council President and STA Board Chair Lori Kinnear, and Gonzaga University President Dr. Thayne McCulloh. In addition to the crowd of several hundred people, other federal, state, and local officials attended to represent the many partners that made City Line a reality.
Over a decade of meticulous planning and extensive collaboration with community partners went into City Line. The distinctly branded black and lilac, battery-electric coaches are complemented by the bus stations which pop with vibrant color and custom artwork created by local Spokane artists.
STA secured a historic $53.4 million grant from the FTA as well as more than $7 million in grants from Washington State for City Line’s design and construction as well as the acquisition of its all-electric fleet of 11 buses, and the project is expected to come in more than $10 million under budget.
However, the bus line’s most distinguishing feature is its next-level service. On weekdays, buses arrive every 7.5 minutes during morning and afternoon peak hours and every 10 minutes during midday. 15-minute service is offered on weekday mornings and evenings and most Saturdays and Sundays. During early morning and late at night, City Line operates 30-minute service.
“Achieving the full implementation of City Line has involved the dedicated effort of many people,” said STA’s Chief Operations Officer, Brandon Rapez-Betty. “STA has delivered on its promised service to the community, and we’re very pleased at how successful the route has proven to be in connecting people to where they need to go.”
The route features near-level boarding at the stations, off-board ticketing and fare validation, and monitors displaying real-time estimates of departure times. Onboard monitors display where the bus is along the line, letting riders know when to get off the bus. Custom Braille wayfinding signage is also included at each station, improving ADA accessibility.
The route passed 500,000 rides in April, and within its first full year since launch, the route served 730,892 individual rides. In that time, the route became one of the busiest routes in STA’s system. The volume of activity demonstrates the value City Line has brought to local mobility to multiple key destinations in Spokane.
“Those ridership numbers are a fantastic milestone that demonstrates STA’s strong ridership recovery and validates our expectations for the route,” observed Karl Otterstrom, Chief Planning & Development Officer at STA.
STA has recovered its ridership faster than larger transit agencies across Washington State as well as the US. In December 2023, STA was one of nine agencies in the country to return to and exceed 2019 ridership for certain months. City Line’s ridership has significantly contributed to the strong recovery.
The launch of City Line brought a decade-long vision for sustainable development, transportation, and connectivity to reality. The overwhelming response from the community over the past year has been positive and excited, not only for City Line, but also for the future.
“We are so immensely grateful for the support and trust placed in us by the community we serve,” said Meyer. “City Line truly launched a new beginning for transit in the region.”
Meyer continued, “I like to call City Line the ‘golden line.’ Not only has it connected the community to opportunity, but it will be the launching pad for future successful transit development in the Spokane region.”
With City Line completing a year of service, STA looks ahead to its next major improvements to the region’s transit, especially Division Street BRT, a proposed 10-mile route between downtown Spokane and Mead that will launch with the anticipated completion of the North Spokane Corridor in 2030.
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