Everett bus riders will see more frequent service, longer operating hours and an on-demand shuttle zone over the next five years after Mayor Cassie Franklin signed the Interlocal Agreement (ILA) merging Everett Transit into Community Transit.

Franklin and Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz signed the agreement Nov. 5, one day after the Everett City Council approved the deal 7-0, according to the Everett Herald. The Community Transit Board of Directors followed with a unanimous 9-0 vote the same day, the Everett Post reported.

The merger ends Everett's 57-year run operating its own municipal bus system.

What changes and when

Community Transit will take over transit operations inside Everett on April 1, 2027, according to a Community Transit press release. Until 2028, bus routes and schedules within Everett will stay mostly the same.

The ILA requires Community Transit to increase bus service in Everett by 50% by 2031. That is double the 25% growth Everett Transit's own long-range plan projected over 20 years, Community Transit CEO Ilgenfritz said at a September presentation, as reported by the Everett Post.

The first visible change: an on-demand Zip Shuttle rideshare zone planned for Everett by spring 2028, according to the ILA. Broader service expansions will ramp up later in 2028 and continue through 2031, according to Community Transit's Everett updates page.

Community Transit Board member Megan Dunn, an Everett resident, pointed to extended evening hours as one early priority. She told the Everett Post that Everett's bus to the Port of Everett waterfront stops running around 5 or 6 p.m. Under the merger, the agency plans to expand service times to match Community Transit's later schedule.

Dunn also said bus frequency would improve. She told the Everett Post that under Everett Transit's own plan, only about 25% of buses would run at 15-minute frequency, while the consolidation targets 75%.

What riders pay

On April 1, 2027, the transit sales tax in Everett will rise from 0.6% to 1.2%, matching the rate other Snohomish County cities already pay. That amounts to an extra 6 cents on a $10 taxable purchase, according to Community Transit.

Fares on existing Everett routes will not change for at least 12 months after the takeover. Any later fare adjustment would require staff analysis, public input and Community Transit Board approval, according to the Everett Post.

The $54.5 million deal

Community Transit will pay Everett $54.5 million. Of that, $42.5 million covers transit property and assets, including Everett Station, buses and charging equipment. The remaining $12 million covers transition costs to city services, the Everett Post reported.

Everett will separately transfer $16 million in transit capital reserves to Community Transit for future vehicle and equipment replacement. The city will retain ownership of the Transit Operations and Maintenance Center at 3225 Cedar St. and lease it to Community Transit for $300,000 per year over five years.

Workers and paratransit

Everett Transit employees identified for transfer will become Community Transit employees on April 1, 2027. Community Transit will honor existing collective bargaining agreements, according to the ILA. Everett City Council President Don Schwab said in a statement that existing labor agreements remain in place.

Union members raised concerns before the vote. Steve Oss, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 883, told the Herald that seniority protections were a sticking point. "Seniority is everything for people in a union," Oss said. "You spend years working up that ladder. And now we've got nothing."

Paratransit service will continue for current eligible riders, including those over 65. But residents who turn 65 after the merger takes effect will need to qualify under Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, the Herald reported.

What's next

Community Transit will open three rounds of public feedback starting in January 2027 to help plan the integrated network, according to the agency's Everett updates page. The Swift Gold Line bus rapid transit service connecting Everett, Marysville and Arlington is planned for 2031. Everett is guaranteed at least one seat on the reconstituted Community Transit Board.