Skagit Transit presents 5–10 year plan; proposes hourly east–west link and on‑demand pilot that could include Sedro‑Woolley

Sam Zimbabwe, presenter for Skagit Transit, told the Sedro‑Woolley City Council on April 9 that the agency’s long‑range transit plan is intended to “provide a guide for the next 5 to 10 years of investment in transit service across Skagit County.” The plan proposes route restructuring to increase reliability, moves to a target maximum one‑hour headway on many routes, and recommends later and Sunday service in more places.

The plan’s short‑term changes aim to be service‑hour neutral while creating space to layer in more frequent and later service if additional resources become available. Zimbabwe said the proposed short‑term changes include making the Route 305 an hourly, single‑seat connection from downtown Sedro‑Woolley to Skagit Station and adjusting Route 301 to strengthen east–west links to Chuckanut Park & Ride and the airport. He told the council that the 70X route currently runs only once every three hours through parts of Sedro‑Woolley, which makes trip planning difficult.

Why it matters: Council members said improved east–west connections and more reliable service could affect commuting, student travel to Skagit Valley College and access to jobs. The plan also identifies midday ridership as unusually high, suggesting many riders use transit for shopping, appointments and non‑commute trips.

Skagit Transit is also proposing an on‑demand transit pilot, a service model between fixed‑route buses and paratransit that would let users request rides within defined zones. Sam Zimbabwe said Anacortes and Fidalgo Island emerged as top candidates for a pilot; Sedro‑Woolley also “has a lot of opportunities” if the pilot succeeds. Malia Kosinski, planning outreach manager for Skagit Transit, told the council the agency is pursuing grant funding for a pilot and is “working with Janicki to see about putting a bus pull out in front of their facilities out in Hamilton and then potentially looking at expanding the vanpool program.”

Council members asked whether private ride‑hail services (Uber/Lyft) could fill gaps. Zimbabwe said on‑demand transit aims to be an affordable, accessible option that complements private services: it can be booked with a short wait (typically 15–30 minutes) and provide wheelchair‑accessible vehicles; private apps are often more costly and are not guaranteed to provide accessible vehicles.

Councilman Burns added that Skagit Transit is testing Wi‑Fi on buses and that Verizon service “should be going online soon,” which councilors said could help riders on longer routes.

Next steps: Zimbabwe said a 30‑day public comment period will open early next week and run through May 14; the Skagit Transit board will consider approval after that. If the board adopts the plan, Skagit Transit will begin preparations for initial service changes and continue working with cities on stop locations, passenger facilities and implementation timing.

The presentation and question‑and‑answer session took place during the council meeting; several council members and Skagit Transit staff participated in the discussion. The council did not take a formal vote on the plan during the April 9 meeting. Skagit Transit will accept public comments during the posted comment window and will publish details about proposed route and schedule changes before implementation.