As we turn the page from 2019 to 2020, we’re closing out what has been a big year during an important time in C-TRAN’s history. Among the milestones we marked in the past 12 months:
- C-TRAN was named 2019 North American Mid-Sized Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association. (Hold your applause, please.)
- The Mill Plain BRT Project moved into its second phase, known as project development, as more detailed planning and design work got underway.
- C-TRAN became a certified Green Business through the Clark County Green Business program.
- C-TRAN began providing direct service to Portland International Airport with the launch of the new Route 67 in September.
- The first six in our series of special community-themed bus designs rolled out in 2019, featuring the cities of Battle Ground, Vancouver, Camas, Ridgefield, Washougal and La Center. Two more – highlighting the Town of Yacolt and Clark County overall – will follow in early 2020.
- C-TRAN’s administrative team completed the move to our new location on Northeast 51st Circle, as plans move forward to build an expanded Operations and Maintenance facility on Northeast 65th Avenue in the coming years.
- New partnerships allowed C-TRAN to provide shuttle service and other support for events across Clark County, including the inaugural season of the Ridgefield Raptors baseball team and a new Fourth of July celebration at the Clark County Fairgrounds. Meanwhile, we continued our longstanding partnership with dozens of other community events such as the Clark County Fair, Veterans Day Parade and the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Fort Vancouver.
- Overall system ridership is on track to increase for the third consecutive year, according to preliminary data.
A lot has changed since C-TRAN officially began service in 1981, almost four decades ago. Our total ridership during the first full year of operation was 1.2 million trips. The population of Clark County was about 197,000 people. The Americans with Disabilities Act was still nine years away.
Today, C-TRAN carries more than 6.2 million trips per year with an expanding array of services and technologies in a regional transportation network. The population of Clark County is more than 480,000 and growing.
We’re about to enter a new decade – a new ‘20s – and we’re thrilled to see what the future brings. Mostly, we’re thrilled to continue serving this great community as we grow and change with it. Thanks for moving us as we move you. Cheers!
