PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit System will add another trip on its popular daily shuttle to Hurricane Ridge this summer, General Manager Jim Fetzer told commissioners.
The schedule remain the same as last year with the additional trip as the last departure of the day from Gateway Transit Center at 3:30 p.m., Fetzer said Wednesday. Because the last bus of the day leaving Hurricane Ridge was often full and a second bus was required to accommodate the riders, two buses will now be ready at Hurricane Ridge at the new final trip at 5:30 p.m.
Previously, the final shuttle left the transit center at 1:45 p.m. and departed from Hurricane Ridge at 3:45 p.m.
The shuttle had 24,706 boardings last year despite a delayed start to the summer season, when the park was forced to close due to a May 7 fire that destroyed Hurricane Ridge Lodge. It did not reopen until June 27.
Fetzer said he met with Olympic National Park staff about two weeks ago to discuss the shuttle and was told more parking would be available at Hurricane Ridge as well as improved restroom facilities.
Hurricane Ridge shuttle service will start Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day weekend. The fare is $1 each way. The shuttle, along with Clallam Transit’s Strait Shot service from Port Angeles to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal, are exempt from the system’s zero-fare pilot program.
Replacement vehicles
It has been difficult for Clallam Transit to procure replacement vehicles for its fleet, maintenance manager Gary Abrams told the board. Either the price has increased between the time the board authorizes the funds and when Clallam Transit is ready to purchase them or they are sold before Clallam Transit has a chance to buy them.
“The prices keep going up and as soon as you find one, they’re gone,” Abrams said.
The board unanimously approved a request for up to $560,000 for the purchase of vans for the system’s CTS Rideshare Program.
“It used to be buses that were hard to get hold of and now it’s vans,” Fetzer said.
Fleet replacement and alternative fuels are on a list of discussion items for the 2024-2029 Transit Development Plan that will be discussed at the April 17 board meeting, Fetzer said.
“Right now we’re looking at electrical vehicles and we’re looking at hydrogen,” he said. “We’re really not sure what direction to go. Electrical vehicles make sense in some places, but we’re also hearing in the industry about a lot of problems with electric vehicles. Hydrogen seems to be the future, but hydrogen is extremely expensive. We want to take an in-depth look at both.”
Staff will bring to the board a report at its April 17 meeting a the zero-fare pilot program that started Jan. 1 and is funded through the state’s Climate Commitment Act. Clallam Transit has received $1.9 million over the past two years from the program, Fetzer said, adding that Initiative 2117 on the November ballot would prohibit carbon tax credit trading.
Fixed routes
Operations manager Jason McNickle reported that fixed route ridership in February was 45 percent higher than last year and the number of passengers using Clallam Transit’s GPS bus-tracking app continues to climb. The system also has seen a great deal more demand for its Interlink and paratransit services since the zero-fare pilot program began, McNickle said.
“We’re getting especially great feedback for Interlink,” McNickle said of the on-demand ride service that operates in Sequim and Forks. “Mostly, people would like us to expand services in Sequim. We have two vehicles and they’re busy all day.”
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
