It’s not every day you come across an Olympic athlete. Here at C-TRAN, we are proud to say that we work with one. Doug McPherson has worked at C-TRAN for the past eight and a half years. In his free time, he is a competitive powerlifter. His dedication to the sport is apparent; he practices before heading in to work a graveyard shift at C-TRAN. The practice has paid off for Doug, earning him a spot as one of two powerlifting athletes representing Washington in the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.
Doug works the graveyard shift, from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., as a janitor/hostler in C-TRAN’s Maintenance department. He’s part of the team that cleans our entire fleet every night. Powerlifting has always been in the evening, so Doug would go straight from practice to work on practice nights. Training typically takes place during the spring, meaning he has followed this routine every week since March. Many people work during the day and go to the gym at night; Doug does the opposite.
Special Olympics is a sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities that offers competition in over 30 Olympic-style individual and team sports. Doug was first introduced to Special Olympics in elementary school, but the program was eventually dropped. His mother, Margaret, became reacquainted with Special Olympics track and field when Doug was in his junior year of high school. She saw that there was a powerlifting program and thought, “oh, powerlifting, that would be good.” She says the neat thing about powerlifting is that it’s an independent sport—you’re just competing against yourself. Powerlifting divisions are based on age and weight, much like wrestling. Margaret stated, “I’m a little biased, but while I think he doesn’t have a [typical] powerlifter’s build because he’s long and lean, he does well at it.”
Not only is Doug dedicated, but he is decorated in his sport. As a member of the Clark County Bulldogs, he attended a regional powerlifting tournament in Seattle this past May, winning two bronze medals and one gold medal for an overall silver. Following the tournament, Doug traveled to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, from June 5-11. The Washington team, consisting of 75 athletes, 25 coaches, and support staff, marched in the opening ceremonies the day before the games started. Doug walked away from the competition as a Special Olympic medalist, winning four bronze medals for his efforts.
The USA games take place once every four years. The next games will be held in 2026 in Minnesota. A person qualifies to attend by winning gold at their state games. If you win gold at state games, you’re invited to apply to go to nationals. One man and one woman are selected to represent their state. Doug looks forward to continuing competing and, hopefully, making it to Minnesota to add to his medal collection.
When Doug was asked what his favorite part of competitive powerlifting is, his answer was all in the name—the competition.
Vancouver, WA: C-TRAN is supporting National Human Trafficking Awareness Month this January by putting up posters across our fleet so that victims of trafficking can learn how to access help. The National Human Trafficking Hotline received more than 22,000 calls in 2019 alone—and they believe that this is only a fraction of the people who are being exploited in America.
Not Alone is a national human trafficking awareness campaign designed to help people who are being trafficked recognize that there are resources for them to seek help. Help might look like a referral to a local social services agency, a connection to law enforcement, or simply a confidential and validating conversation.
The Not Alone campaign was created by the Seattle-based nonprofit BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking). BEST worked closely with survivors of trafficking to create posters that would catch the attention of someone who was being harmed, even if they only had a few seconds to look at it before moving on. These posters will be displayed on all C-TRAN buses in January.
“We believe that everyone who uses public transportation should be traveling freely and safely,” said C-TRAN Chief Executive Officer Shawn M. Donaghy. “That’s why C-TRAN is taking this extra step to raise awareness of these resources and help that is available to people who are being forced into dangerous situations.”
“I created the Not Alone campaign so that people experiencing a trafficking situation will be able to self-identify and seek help,” said Rebekah Covington, Corporate Relations Manager for BEST. “During the time I was trafficked, I didn't realize what was happening to me; I just knew something was very wrong and I did not know where to turn. This is why it is important that the messaging and visuals speak directly to survivors, so they can access the resources that are available.”
In 2019, Washington had the eighth-highest call volume on the National Human Trafficking Hotline of all U.S. states. Trafficking is an issue everywhere, including Clark County. If you need help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733.
For additional media resources, including video interviews with survivors, images and a fact sheet, visit https://www.bestalliance.org/medianotalone.
C-TRAN is the regional public transportation provider for Clark County. It offers Local bus service within its Clark County service area, plus Regional and Express bus service to Portland. It also provides Connector service within the city limits of Vancouver, Camas, La Center, and Ridgefield. For more information on C-TRAN please visit C-TRAN’s website at www.c-tran.com, or call Customer Service at 360-695-0123.
BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking) is a Seattle-based nonprofit that educates employers to prevent human trafficking and creates pathways to employment for survivors. Founded in 2012, BEST has trained more than 11,000 employers in the hotel, aviation, maritime and transportation industries to recognize and respond to human trafficking at their workplaces. In 2019, BEST launched the Safe Jobs Collaborative to connect survivors of trafficking with stable employment opportunities in King County. To date, Collaborative partners have helped more than 400 people gain employment. To learn more, visit www.bestalliance.org.
Contact:
Eric Florip, Assistant Manager of Customer Experience and Communication
360-906-7391 Office
503-904-9641 Cell
[email protected]
Mar Brettmann, PhD, Executive Director and CEO
360-906-7391 Office
206-724-8246 Cell
[email protected]
Vancouver, WA: A new partnership between C-TRAN and Transit, North America’s leading mobility app, means C-TRAN riders have a go-to option for real-time travel information in Clark County and Portland.
Transit is now C-TRAN’s official mobile app for trip planning and real-time information. It provides a powerful tool that makes travel seamless for users across multiple modes. Among its features for C-TRAN riders:
“C-TRAN is committed to providing the best service we can for Clark County, and that means putting the best information we can directly into riders’ hands,” said Shawn M. Donaghy, C-TRAN’s Chief Executive Officer. “This partnership with Transit makes it even easier to access our service and keep Clark County moving.”
“Partnering with a single app that prioritizes transit makes it clear to riders where they can go for information,” said David Block Schachter, Chief Business Officer of Transit. “We’re excited to work with C-TRAN to give riders a top-rated app experience to plan their trips and track their rides throughout Clark County and Portland.”
More details about Transit, including links to download the app, are available at transitapp.com.
Transit is only one of the tools C-TRAN uses to deliver service information to riders. Starting this month, C-TRAN is also rolling out a dedicated Twitter feed for all service alerts in one place. Twitter users can follow @ctran_alerts to see all service-related impacts in one place, and expanded hours for service-related tweets starting in 2022. C-TRAN will continue to use the main @ctranvancouver Twitter account for news, features and major service announcements
C-TRAN is the regional public transportation provider for Clark County. It offers Local bus service within its Clark County service area, plus Regional and Express bus service to Portland. It also provides Connector service within the city limits of Vancouver, Camas, La Center, and Ridgefield. For more information on C-TRAN please visit C-TRAN’s website at www.c-tran.com, or call Customer Service at 360-695-0123.
Transit solves the urban commute in more than 300 cities worldwide. Users can easily navigate public transit with accurate real-time predictions, simple trip planning, step-by-step navigation and quick, easy payments. The app also integrates additional transport modes—bikeshare, scooters, carshare and ridehail—so users can mix and match their options with public transit to determine the best way to get from A to B. The company is based in Montreal, Quebec. Learn more by visiting www.transitapp.com.
Contact:
Eric Florip, Assistant Manager of Customer Experience and Communication, C-TRAN
360-906-7391 Office
[email protected]
Route 32 will be on detour Sunday, July 3, during Summer Fest at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. During the event, stops along Evergreen Boulevard will be closed between Fort Vancouver Way and Grand Boulevard. Route 32 buses will detour to Mill Plain in both directions. The detour is expected to continue from approximately 10 a.m. until the end of service on Sunday.
Additional information is posted at the affected stops. For questions or trip planning assistance, please call C-TRAN at 360-695-0123.
C-TRAN is making a series of service changes in 2022—and proposing further adjustments in 2023—designed to improve the service we provide every day. Many of the changes will expand hours and boost weekend service on various routes. We’re also adjusting schedules to keep buses on time and improve connections to other routes.
Altogether, the changes add up to thousands of hours in additional service each year. All of it is going toward Local bus service here in Clark County.
Here are the changes you’ll see starting in September 2022:
C-TRAN is also proposing a series of changes in January 2023. These concepts would expand on the investments we’re making in September, and further boost Local bus service in Clark County. With these changes, many routes would have matching weekend service, meaning the schedule is the same on Saturdays and Sundays. Here’s what we’re proposing:
C-TRAN wants to hear from you on the January 2023 service change concepts. Got other ideas? Those are welcome, too. Leave a comment using the comment form below:
If you live in Clark County, you may already be planning on attending some of the exciting events happening over the summer. Did you also know that C-TRAN participates in many of them? We may be there as a vendor for these events, providing shuttles or driving one of our beautiful buses along a parade route! Whether it's the first Juneteenth Freedom Celebration to be sponsored by the City of Vancouver, or the Clark County Fair, which has been around for over 150 years, you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy.
C-TRAN is proud to partner with the Ridgefield Raptors baseball team to provide free shuttle service to select games for the 2022 season. Buses will take fans to the Raptors’ home field at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex for four games this season: June 4, June 25, July 16 and July 28.
Shuttles will pick passengers up at the following locations:
On each shuttle night, buses will operate every 10 minutes between the Port of Ridgefield and downtown Ridgefield starting at 4 p.m. for the pre-game tailgate event in downtown. About an hour before the game, buses will begin taking passengers to the ballpark at RORC. Shuttles may continue after the first pitch if necessary.
Shuttle buses will leave the RORC starting at about 8:30 p.m., and will continue operating through and after the end of the game.
For more information about the Ridgefield Raptors, visit ridgefieldraptors.com. For questions or trip planning assistance, please call C-TRAN at 360-695-0123.
Pre-game shuttle schedule:
Port of Ridgefield Division Street |
Simons Street & Third Avenue (downtown Ridgefield) |
Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex |
Simons Street & Third Avenue (downtown Ridgefield) |
Port of Ridgefield | |
5:30 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:45 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:00 PM | |
5:45 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:15 PM | |
6:00 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:30 PM | |
6:15 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:30 PM | X | X | |
6:30 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:45 PM | X | X |
Effective April 19, 2022, C-TRAN Employees and Customers can choose whether they would like to wear a mask, and we strongly encourage individuals to make the best decision that supports their well-being and personal needs.
Due to construction of the Mill Plain BRT project, multiple detours and stop closures are in effect.
In downtown Vancouver, construction will occur on Evergreen Boulevard between Broadway and C Street. Stop ID 1104 (eastbound Evergreen at C Street) and Stop ID 635 (westbound Evergreen at Broadway) will be temporarily closed. The following routes will be on detour:
In the downtown area, passengers can use the following alternate boarding locations.
For Route 25, southbound trips:
For Route 25, northbound trips:
For Route 37, eastbound trips:
Along the Mill Plain corridor, the following stops will also be closed due to detours and construction activity:
Temporary stops will also be placed at various locations along the corridor during construction. Additional information is posted at the affected stops.
The Mill Plain BRT project is the second branch of The Vine. New bus rapid transit stations will be built along a 10-mile stretch of the Mill Plain corridor in 2022 and 2023. The work will be completed in phases, with different station locations under construction at different times. Temporary stops and existing stop closures will be adjusted as needed as the project progresses. Work at each individual station is expected to last four to six months.
More information about the Mill Plain BRT project is available here. For questions or trip planning assistance, please call C-TRAN at 360-695-0123.