A student's guide to public transit in Bellingham
By Cristina Roock
WWU University Communications
After graduating this summer I realized part of my Western education included learning about public transportation.
Before I came to Western I rarely used public transportation. Four years ago my parents and I drove two and a half hours from Tacoma to Bellingham. Since then I have taken Amtrak and Greyhound home on weekends and learned routes and times for local buses so I wouldn't be late to class or get lost in Bellingham.
Taking the Amtrak or Greyhound was different than my parents driving me home for the weekend. I learned to wait for buses and trains and to expect complications with traffic and weather. But even though it took longer to get home I learned how to travel independently and used public transportation through four counties.
The WTA Blue Line runs through
campus
every 15 minutes.
Western allowed me to develop great public transportation skills. Incoming students can learn the same lessons I did with help from the WWU Sustainable Transportation Office.
- Sustainable Transportation's staff creates personalized trip plans upon request, which includes local and regional trips.
- Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) has a variety of bus lines throughout Bellingham, including four main 'Go Lines'. The Blue Go Line passes through campus every 15 minutes.
- Students taking 6 or more qualifying credits each quarter automatically have a transportation fee added to their student account fees. Part of this fee pays for a bus pass, which students get encoded onto their Western I.D. Card. This pass is valid for unlimited use on WTA buses.
- The Western Student Shuttle provides late night service and is free to students. The shuttle does not run summers.
- The Sustainable Transportation website has times, routes and prices for bus trips from Bellingham to Mount Vernon, Everett, Lynnwood, Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma using a combination of transit agencies throughout the region. Trips are cheaper but can take longer pending on traffic.
- The Amtrak and Greyhound station is located near the Fairhaven district. Students can take a taxi or the Red Line (Bus 401) to the station. Bellingham also offers an Airport Shuttle Service and a Western Rideshare Forum for carpool exchanges.
