Whatcom Transportation Authority bus service will expand in June to serve growing areas of Bellingham.
Approved on Thursday alongside WTA’s 2025 budget, the service changes include increased service to the hospital from downtown and to Lummi Nation. The changes also add a new route to serve expanding development in the King Mountain neighborhood, increase service to Old Town Bellingham, and make the new waterfront service regular and permanent.
The approved budget is a slightly pared-down version of the one released for public comment, after some concerns from board members about the extent of spending amid an ongoing structural deficit.
Notably, the budget for next year does not currently include the $6.45 million originally included in the budget to purchase the former Base Camp property downtown for a new Bellingham Station as the authority waits for some guidance from the Federal Transit Administration, Finance Director Shonda Shipman said at the Dec. 5 meeting.
Staff will come back with a budget amendment “if and when” the purchase of the property proceeds, according to a budget memo.
Shipman said Thursday that this budget includes an “investment of cash reserves to put service out on the street before the demand is necessarily there,” to Old Town, the Waterfront and King Mountain. Previously, board members had instructed WTA to spend down its reserves to invest in the community. The transit authority will start 2025 with around $56 million in cash reserves, built up over the years due to COVID-19 federal relief money, and conservative budgeting for sales tax revenue over the last several years.
The final budget includes $47.8 million in operating revenue, $55.4 million in operating expenses and $2.5 million in net capital expenses, with a net loss of $10.1 million. The service changes will cost the WTA about $1.6 million to operate annually, plus a one-time capital cost of $1.25 million.
“The budget we’ve talked about has a lot of opportunities in it, and there’s a little bit of risk, but we think those opportunities outweigh the risks …” Shipman said. “Sitting on that pot of money really is not the best idea.” The transit authority still expects to end 2025 with around $36 million in reserves.
To address the structural deficit, which for now is covered by reserves, the WTA will be forming committees to investigate ways to expand revenues and reduce expenses. Staff have also already found some ways to save money: Shipman said the transit authority won’t purchase new vehicles for the expanded waterfront service as planned, freeing up around $1 million in grant funds, and about $180,000 in local funds. General Manager Les Reardanz said the authority will use an existing 35-foot bus for the service.
The authority is also going to delay purchasing some new vanpool vans, freeing up around $200,000.
The service changes include the elimination of a bus stop that used to be right outside of Willows Assisted Living. Several residents and staff from the facility appeared at a November meeting to protest the change.
But WTA staff said based on farebox transaction data, one person is boarding the bus at that stop about every other day, and the stop deviates from the normal route, adding about 3 minutes to every ride. Planning Director Tim Wilder said there is a nearby stop about 1,500 feet from the Willows, and residents can also use paratransit service.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
