Community Transit

Curb the Congestion Club

Ride the bus or join a vanpool. Get $54.

Snohomish County has partnered with Community Transit to help you curb the congestion on 164th Street SW/SE (between Lynnwood and Mill Creek), 128th Street (between Everett and Mill Creek), and 20th Street (between Lake Stevens and Everett).

How can you make a difference? Choose a commute alternative! Did you know that one out of five Puget Sound area commuters carpool, vanpool, bus, bike or walk to work? Saving money, saving time, saving the environment, and enjoying the trip rather than dreading it…these are all reasons why.  When you make the decision to not drive alone, you will see real benefits for you, your family, and the environment.

Need another reason to try an alternative? We’ll pay you $54 a month  for up to three months, to take the bus or join a vanpool through December 2009. Payment is in the form of a bus pass or vanpool voucher.

If you already take the bus or belong to a vanpool, you can earn $25 for encouraging someone else to join you!

A Community Transit Specialist is waiting to help you plan your commute.  This specialist is your personal assistant at Community Transit, ready to answer your questions and provide information on commute options like carpooling, vanpooling, taking the bus, and riding your bicycle.

Buddy Program

If you already take the bus or belong to a vanpool, you can earn $25 for encouraging someone else to join you! If you introduce a non-rider to the program and they sign up and participate in the Curb the Congestion Club for at least one month, you will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Simply have your friends, family and co-workers visit this page (www.communitytransit.org/curbit) to register. You can earn up to four gift certificates if you are a "buddy" for four different participants. Gift Certificates are Commuter Bonus Plus Vouchers and can be redeemed at REI, 76 Gas Stations, Brown Bear Car Wash, YMCA, Zipcar or AAA of Washington.

Program Eligibility

Curb the Congestion Club Eligibility

1. You must currently drive 164th Street SW/SE, 20th Street, or 128th Street to work, school, or running errands.
2. You must be 16 years of age to qualify for this program.
3. You must submit your completed application and signed pledge form before beginning your use of an alternative commute mode. You must NOT have ridden the bus regularly (more than two times a week) within the past 30 days or participated in a Community Transit operated vanpool within the past 90 days.
4. Participants receiving the subsidy agree not to drive alone in a personal vehicle on 164th Street SW/SE, 128th Street between McCollum Park and Airport Road, or 20th Street to meet their bus or vanpool.
5. Maximum subsidy amount for any individual is $162 (equivalent to three months of local bus passes), which must be earned in three consecutive months. Subsidies are not paid to the participant in cash and are not prorated.
6. You must track your trips on the calendar provided by Community Transit and use the bus or vanpool at least 60 percent of the recording period (approximately three times a week excluding holidays) to be eligible for the following month’s subsidy.
7. Tracking calendars are due no later than the 20th of each month. After participation has been verified the next month’s subsidy will be mailed no later than the 26th of the current month.
8. If you are a participant on 164th Street SW/SE or 128th Street SE, you may not use the other road to remove your vehicle trip.
9. Participants in the 128th Curb the Congestion program may drive to the McCollum Park Park & Ride facility to catch the bus or meet a vanpool and still be eligible for the subsidy.
10. Participants are responsible for paying the remaining bus fare if transferring to a Commuter route or Sound Transit bus or the additional vanpool fare above that covered by the subsidy issued by Community Transit.
11. Continuation of program subsidy is dependent on the availability of funds.
12. The three-month subsidy is a one-time incentive program.
13. You must not have been accepted into the Curb the Congestion program in 2008.

Buddy Program Eligibility

1. You must be a regular bus rider (ride three days a week or more) or in an existing Community Transit operated vanpool.
2. Your “buddy” will need to participate in the Curb the Congestion program, as described above, for at least one month to receive the voucher. The initial application and tracking calendar includes a place for your buddy to include your name as his/her referral.
3. The $25 Commuter Bonus Plus vouchers are redeemable at AAA, Brown Bear Car Wash, Zipcar, REI, 76 Gas Stations and the YMCA.
4. You can receive up to four $25 Commuter Bonus Plus vouchers total, one per Curb the Congestion participant.