Editor's note: This letter was written by an organization outside of The Front in response to an article published on Feb. 9, 2025.
By Chris Gray
Several weeks ago, an article ran in The Front that raised questions regarding the accessibility of public transportation in Whatcom County. Since meeting the needs of people with disabilities is a huge part of what we do at Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA), I want to be clear about what’s available.
WTA operates a fleet of what we call “fixed route” buses, or the large city buses you see coursing through town. All of our fixed route buses meet accessibility standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All have ADA features such as ramps, call buttons, and both audio and visual stop announcements. Drivers are specially trained to help riders with disabilities, and we provide thousands of trips to people with physical and other disabilities every week.
If someone with a disability can’t get to a fixed route stop, or is unable to use the fixed route system, they can reserve rides on WTA’s “paratransit.” Paratransit provides point-to-point transportation in smaller buses, to all the places one could reach on fixed routes. Paratransit Drivers can help riders get to and from their front door to the bus, and from the bus to the door of their destination.
According to our most recent annual performance report, WTA provides well over 170,000 trips on paratransit each year. As outlined in the ADA, there’s an application process to determine whether someone is eligible.
In addition to maintaining accessible vehicles, and providing paratransit, WTA hires people with a focus on customer service. We then provide specific training on how to assist people with disabilities. For our transit drivers and customer service representatives, assisting all our riders effectively and empathetically is a key function of their jobs.
How does a rider know which bus service is right for them? The first point of connection is often a customer service representative, reachable at customerservice@ridewta.com or 360-676-7433. They may recommend speaking with our mobility coordinator or our travel trainer.
Travel Training is free, personalized training for people who would like to learn how to ride fixed route buses. Our Travel Trainer, Andrew Herndon, especially enjoys working with young people who’ve had to rely on parents and grandparents to participate in school, work, sports, and activities with friends. Once they learn how to ride the bus, they relish the freedom. He says for many people he works with the bus is their ticket to “the full life we often take for granted.”
WTA’s organizational purpose is connecting people to opportunity. Our service to people with disabilities is at the very heart of that purpose.
Chris Gray is the paratransit manager and ADA coordinator for the Whatcom Transportation Authority.
