DETOURS/DELAYS – Regional Snowstorm (1/19/12 – 1/21/12)

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably noticed the snowstorm that has hit our part of the world this week. Needless to say, this has been making things a bit difficult for transit operators in our area.

Below, I have a list that I will be updating as often as possible on delays/detours/service cancellations for transit services in the region.

Update #1 (10:33AM): Information for Ben Franklin Transit/Grapeline/Link Transit/Valley Transit/Yakima Transit has been updated.

Update #2 (1:26PM): No changes to report. Some minor delays may still be occuring.

Update #3 (5:25PM): Information for Grapeline has been updated.

Update #4 (11:39PM): Information for Grapeline has been updated.

Update #5 (4:10PM SAT): Unless there is a major change in the weather, this will be the last update. All services are back to normal. Ben Franklin Transit, Grapeline, and Link Transit have been posting timely updates on their websites (links below), so always double-check to be safe.

• Ben Franklin Transit: Some buses are running on schedule today, though most are facing minor delays of only a few minutes. Route 47 has resumed regular route today, and is now serving Garfield Hill again. Route 50 is not serving the Comfort Inn and Shopko stops. The bus will proceed directly to Grandridge Blvd after serving the JC Penny stop. Route 67 will serve the CBC Campus in Pasco by request only; Route 225 is unaffected.
• Central Transit (Ellensburg): No information has been reported at this time. Expect bus to be delayed (if it is running).
• Community Connector (Yakima to Prosser Bus): All service for Friday, 1/20, has been cancelled.
• Grapeline (Walla Walla to Pasco bus): All service for the rest of Thursday, 1/19, has been cancelled. For Friday , 1/20, all service has been cancelled. For Saturday, 1/21, the 6:35AM Walla Walla departure and the 9:55AM Pasco departure have been cancelled. Service for the rest of the day is still scheduled to run, but that is subject to change.
• Link Transit (Wenatchee/Chelan and Douglas Counties): Most buses are running close to on time today, some minor delays may be seen.
• Union Gap Transit: No information has been reported at this time. Expect bus to be delayed (if it is running).
• Valley Transit (Walla Walla): In response to my Facebook post, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin says that Valley Transit reports “everything is on schedule as normal for today.” To be on the safe side, expect minor delays.
• Yakima Transit: No changes have been reported, but expect some minor delays.

If you have any questions/need information, don’t be afraid to call the Customer Service phone number for your transit agency. They are there to help you in any way they can. But please do be patient as they will most likely be receiving many calls.

DETOURS/DELAYS – Entire BFT System (Snow 1/18/12)

Tonight and tomorrow, the Tri-Cities will be seeing snow. Reports vary, but from the sound of things the Tri-Cities will be getting 3-7 inches of snowfall.

As the service day for fixed-route and paratransit will be over in less than 2 hours, there shouldn’t be any major problems tonight. If the snow starts accumulating rapidly tonight, delays could be possible for Night Service riders. As a fellow user of Night Service, I’d advise all other users to be patient, but also don’t be afraid to call and check in for the status of your ride (especially if you’ve haven’t been picked up 20 minutes past your scheduled time).

For tomorrow, there’s no way to know how things will be running until we see the conditions firsthand. My advice is prepare for the worst. If you don’t have to leave your house, then don’t. Stay nice and warm inside, enjoy a hot cocoa, and enjoy a good movie or a book. If you do have to leave your house, be prepared for buses running late. Each and every driver at BFT puts safety as their first priority, so they will most likely need to drive slower to adapt for the conditions. Also expect buses to be missing connections at transit centers. If you can get on a bus that interlines with a route that will get you close/directly to your destination, that’ll be your best bet.

For detours, I’m not aware of any “snow route” system that BFT may have (though I’m going to try and find out for future reference). The only specific detour I can report on is for Route 47. Almost always, when the snow falls, Route 47 will be detoured off Garfield Hill and instead run up/down 19th between Garfield and Olympia, and then up/down Olympia to 27th to continue the normal route, so expect the bus to be doing that. Buses may be detoured on a case by case basis. Your best bet to catch a bus is if you are on a road that has been plowed.

If you have any questions, or need information on anything, don’t be afraid to call Customer Service at (509) 735-5100. Understand that many people will be calling them, so it may be busy. I do ask that you be as patient as possible with the Customer Service agents, they work very hard and strive to help you as much as they can.

On my part, I’ll try and tweet any information that I find out via @ziggzagzac. If it’s major information, I’ll update this post below.

UPDATE (11:07AM): Buses are running between 10-20 minutes behind schedule right now. Route 47 is on the detour I mentioned when originally posting this. (No service on Garfield Hill, detouring via 19th between Garfield/Olympia and Olympia between 19th/27th.) Route 50 is also on detour, with no service to the stops at Comfort Inn and Shopko. The bus is proceeding directly to Grandridge Blvd after leaving the JC Penny stop.

Ben Franklin Transit phone numbers
(All start with area code 509)

Customer Service: 735-5100
Dial-A-Ride: 735-0160
Night Service: 545-0684
Vanpool: 943-5442
Prosser (General Demand/Dial-A-Ride): 786-1707
Business Office: 735-4131

Rider Alerts (Or What Not To Do)

Sometimes routes change. Other times bus stops may be temporarily closed. Whatever the case, there is (or rather, there should be) a general sequence of events that occurs to communicate this to transit riders:

1. Decision is made (on route change, stop closure, etc).
2. Informational flyers are printed up.
3. Said flyers are then distributed appropriately to be placed upon buses and the affected areas as needed (and this should all be done a minimum of two weeks prior to effective date).
4. The website is also updated appropriately to provide notice to riders.
5. Customer Service Agents are given the needed information to properly inform riders and answer any questions.
6. Bus Drivers should also be given information on the change(s) so that they can let their riders now, especially if they’re driving a route that will be directly effected by the action.
7. When said action becomes effective, all means of communication mentioned above should continue on, so that all riders, frequent and infrequent, have had a chance to get the information they need.
8. Finally, if the change in question is semi-permanent (“long-term”) or fully permanent, any and all literature (pocket schedules, bus books, online route maps, etc) are appropriately updated within 48 hours of effectiveness to reflect the new and current information.

I mention all this because of a small route change that I mentioned in a post last week. Since Monday, Route 225 has been extended in Richland to serve the Columbia Point area via Columbia Point Drive and Bradley Blvd. Over the last week, my personal experiences related to this change have gone like this:

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