WWU’s Covid-19 plans will determine future public transit service

By Olivia Hicks (Feb. 3, 2021 for Environmental Journalism class)

Following route cuts and a 70 percent drop in ridership during the pandemic, the future of bus service in Whatcom County depends on Western Washington University’s plans for re-opening classrooms.

Routes serving Western made up 40 percent of ridership in Whatcom County before the pandemic. A reduced number of students living and commuting to campus because of the shift to online learning has had a huge impact on bus service operations, said Maureen McCarthy, manager of community relations and marketing at Whatcom Transportation Authority.

“We’ve been tracking when we could, should or will need to return to service, and probably the most important data point is when Western will be going back to in-person classes,” McCarthy said.

During the pandemic, bus service has been cut by 20 percent overall. Although student bus passes only contribute to a fraction of its revenue, Western routes are a significant portion of daily service. Ten of the transportation authority’s 31 routes serve Western.

Western’s recently-announced plans to carry on learning online during the spring and summer quarters will likely stall the transition to full service, McCarthy said.

With funding from the federal CARES Act and local sales tax revenue, the Whatcom Transportation Authority dodged losses that other public transit systems may face with a drop in ridership. The transit authority was able to provide free bus service to Whatcom County residents and pause student transportation fees during the pandemic.

“[Federal aid] will allow us to continue to provide this essential service, even if we couldn’t return to fare collection and even if our local economy continues to do poorly,” McCarthy said.

Without student use, the bus this school year is far different from the tightly packed sight on routes serving Western last year.

Despite a significant decrease in the number of students commuting to campus, Western parking lots continue to be used. This school year, commuting students purchased 23 long term permits. Both student and employee commuters purchase 154 pay station permits each day on average, said Jackson Johnson, management analyst at the Western Student Business Office.

Additionally, the fraction of students living on campus continue to use the bus service, said Jillian Trinkaus, Western’s transportation manager.

“As far as the impacts that I have seen on students, I think it’s actually been pretty minimal,” Trinkaus said. “From what I can tell, Saturday services are actually pretty robust on the campus routes.”

Based on a rider survey, the Whatcom Transportation Authority predicts once public transit returns to full service, regular riders’ use of public transit won’t change. However, predictions of ridership trends overall are uncertain, McCarthy said.

Kenzi Garner, a senior and the alternative transportation coordinator at Western, said that she has used public transportation only twice since the pandemic. Before Covid-19, Garner rode the bus three to five days a week. This change was prompted by Garner not needing to travel anywhere, rather than Covid-19 safety concerns.

In the future, Garner predicts her use of public transit will remain the same.

“I love riding the bus. I’ve been a really proud user of the bus system during my years at Western because I’ve never owned a car. I’ll be using it the same way as before [post-pandemic],” Garner said.

The return of students to campus will restart the late-night shuttle, a Western bus service running until 11 p.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends. The service stopped operating at the beginning of the pandemic because it couldn’t be provided safely and there weren’t enough students on campus, Trinkaus said.

Western held a discussion for students to share how the service could be improved on Jan. 27.

“We are really trying to improve it so that we can make it work better for students,” Trinkaus said. “We’re hoping by fall quarter it will be running again in a new and improved format.”

With secure funds and no driver layoffs, the future of Whatcom County public transit looks promising. However, the national picture isn’t as hopeful, said Luyu Liu, a researcher at Ohio State University.

Liu’s research based on Transit App data found that certain regions are experiencing more pressure on the public transit system than others. In coastal cities, the drop in public transit usage has hit up to 95 percent, according to a paper Liu co-authored, published in the journal PLOS One. Southern and Midwestern cities have experienced a less significant drop in public transit usage because of a greater public transportation dependency.

Varying ridership across the nation may result in service cuts in the future because of “cash-strapped local governments,” the study said. Transportation agencies across the nation can expect a $26 billion to $40 billion annual slash to budgets, according to the TransitCenter.

Liu suggested transit agencies should be more strategic with funding in the future to create a more reliable and equitable service.

“We need to invest more in more basic infrastructure like our buses, our roads, our pavement, our bicycle lanes,” Liu said. “The transit system isn’t rocket science.”

Despite Western’s uncertain re-opening, the Whatcom Transportation Authority’s steady budget means expanding past basic infrastructure. This spring, the transit authority will introduce two electric buses that will carry Whatcom County residents and Western students.