Pacific Transit System

Pacific Transit is a rural public transit operator in Pacific County, Washington. It operates 5 routes in the county, connecting to adjacent systems in Aberdeen and Astoria, Oregon.

Pacific Transit

Commenced operation	January 2, 1980 (1980-01-02)
Locale	Pacific County, Washington
Service type	Bus service
Routes	5
Annual ridership	55,150 (2023)[1]
Fuel type	Diesel and Gasoline
Director	Joe Clark
Website	www.pacifictransit.org

History

A public transportation benefit area for Pacific County was created on August 8, 1979. A 0.3 percent sales tax was approved by voters in November 1979, and bus service began on January 2, 1980, through contracts with Grays Harbor Transit and Washington Coast Lines.^[2][3] By 2006, the system had 500 daily passengers and a staff of 25 employees.^[4] Pacific Transit eliminated the collection of fares on its routes in March 2025;^[5] adult passengers were previously charged between $1 and $1.50 for intra-county service and $2.50 for the Aberdeen Express.^[6] The agency also reached an agreement with Lewis County Transit to be jointly administered by their director, Joe Clark, through the end of the year until a permanent replacement for Pacific Transit's director is found.^[7]

In June 2025, Pacific Transit introduced a new network that replaced numbered routes with color-coded names. The service change also eliminated direct service from Ilwaco to Aberdeen, along with intra-county service from Ilwaco to South Bend.^[8]

Operations

Pacific Transit is a public transportation benefit area corporation that is governed by an eight-member board of directors and funded by a 0.3 percent sales tax levied within Pacific County.^[1]

Routes

In addition to fixed-route service, Pacific Transit also runs the "Veterans Connect", a free dial-a-ride bus for veterans that launched in 2024. It covers trips that originate in Pacific County and are needed for appointments and services in the surrounding area, including in Astoria, Oregon, Olympia, Washington, and Vancouver, Washington.^[9]

Route	Inbound terminus	Outbound terminus	Via	Saturday service
14	Raymond	Aberdeen		No
20	Ilwaco	Oysterville	Long Beach, Ocean Park	Yes
24	Ilwaco	Astoria, Oregon	Chinook	Yes
32	Raymond	South Bend		Yes
50	Ilwaco	South Bend	Astoria, Naselle	No
Source:[10]

Fleet

Current Bus Fleet

As of June 2014^[update][11]

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Fleet Numbers	Fuel Type	Notes
1998	Gillig	Phantom	23	Diesel
2000	Gillig	Phantom	26–27	Diesel
2011	Gillig	Advantage	29–34	Diesel