Business View Magazine | April 2020

171 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2020 VALLEY TRANS I T utilize reasonable modifications so they can use Dial-a-Ride to get where they need to go. We cover all of Walla Walla and College Place with that service. “We run Job Access, which operates outside of our regular hours; it takes people to and from work, or work necessitated child care. Then, during the hours when our regular services are running, those passengers switch to Fixed Route or Dial-a-Ride instead. “We also operate Van Pool. Currently we have four of them, and they are all currently utilized by employees of the Army Corp of Engineers and travel to nearby dams for work. As long as a trip originates or ends in Walla Walla, people are eligible to use our Van Pool Service. “Our Fixed Route averages 2,200 rides per day when combining rides from all 11 buses. Across all systems we provide about 700,000 rides a year; 30,000 of those are on Dial-a- Ride. Together, Van Pool and Job Access, provide roughly 14,000 rides to work for residents of Walla Walla County each year.” BVM: Can you talk about how the system uses technology for the benefit of its riders? Peters: “Valley Transit has the first fully CNG (compressed natural gas) fueled Dial-a-Ride fleet in the state. We have recently purchased electric trolleys, as well as the accompanying charging infrastructure. The remainder of our Fixed Route trolleys are diesel-fueled. “We use Token Transit to allow passenger to purchase digital passes. We have both our Valley Transit website for passenger information, and the iTransitNW website for live bus tracking location information, as well as trip planning information. Additionally, we have an app, branded with Valley Transit’s logo, to give passengers quick and easy access to live GPS information on their phone. “Our trolleys are all equipped with automated