C‑Tran to launch on‑demand 'Current' in Battle Ground Sept. 14; agency outlines 2045 transit vision

C‑Tran will begin operating The Current, an on‑demand, zone‑based service inside Battle Ground city limits on Sept. 14, Mayor McCoy and C‑Tran staff told the City Council on Aug. 18. The service will run seven days a week, provide curb‑to‑curb shared rides within the Battle Ground zone, and operate daily roughly 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Taylor, identified as director of capital planning and service delivery for C‑Tran, told councilors the Current requires no eligibility screening and can be booked via phone, a mobile app or up to two days in advance. Vehicles will be C‑Tran vans with lifts to accommodate mobility devices, carry up to 10 passengers and accept C‑Tran Hop fast‑pass payment and transfers to other routes.

The presentation also outlined C‑Tran’s 2045 long‑range transit plan, a countywide vision document that maps service priorities, capital needs and equity goals for the next two decades. The plan recommends improved frequency on Route 7, restored or new east‑west and Salmon Creek/I‑5 connections, and smaller “community hub” transit centers to enable service expansion outside the Vancouver urban core.

Why this matters: Councilors and residents said the Current could improve mobility for seniors, students and people living in areas of the city with limited sidewalks and no nearby grocery stores. C‑Tran officials said the on‑demand data will help them decide whether and where to add fixed‑route service in the future.

C‑Tran staff expect at least one vehicle to be available in the Battle Ground zone at all open service hours and said fleet deployment will vary with demand. The Current is already operating in several Clark County zones — La Center, Ridgefield, Camas, Washougal and others — and agency data show typical Current trips are just over four miles and two‑thirds of rides are shared bookings. Agency staff said typical wait times for an immediately booked trip are about 20 minutes.

Council members asked about vehicle counts, youth ridership and launch events. Taylor responded the number of vehicles will vary by daypart and that youth are already a significant portion of Current riders in other zones. Taylor said he expected a local kickoff but noted multiple C‑Tran service launches in September could complicate scheduling.

Quotes: “Within the new zone, people will be able to use the Current to go to any two points within the city of Battle Ground,” Taylor said. Council member Kuipers asked whether Battle Ground would have a single vehicle at launch; Taylor replied, “We do expect, at a minimum, we’ll have a vehicle in Battle Ground at all times that service is open and available.”

The 2045 plan presentation described capital priorities such as bus stop accessibility upgrades, speed and reliability improvements, technology investments and new operations facilities — items C‑Tran staff said are fiscally unconstrained in the vision and will be prioritized later through financial scenario work.

Next steps: C‑Tran launches the Current in Battle Ground Sept. 14. The agency is in a second outreach phase on the 2045 plan and will return to jurisdictions for further comment on the vision network and investment scenarios.