Pierce Transit Runner Now Available in Transit, Pierce Transit’s All-In-One App

February 5, 2024

Innovative integration from Pierce Transit, the Transit app, and Via enables riders to plan and pay for multimodal trips that connect to buses and other transit services.

Pierce Transit Runner is now available in Transit, Pierce Transit’s all-in-one app to plan, track and pay for rides. Thanks to this new integration, riders can for the first time plan and pay for trips that combine Pierce Transit’s on-demand and regular bus services.

Passengers can plan a trip in Transit to their destination using a combination of on-demand and bus service, then link directly to the Pierce Transit Runner app to request their ride.

Pierce Transit Runner is designed to offer a flexible transit option in Pierce County with direct connections to transit stops (point-to-hub) or to another address within the service zone (point-to-point) – all for the same cost as a bus trip. Rides must begin and end within the four main service zones – Puyallup, Spanaway, Tideflats, and Ruston – which operate between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily.

This marks another successful collaboration between Transit and Via, an industry leader in on-demand transit solutions. A growing number of transit agencies are looking to microtransit as a way to complement traditional fixed-route service and extend the reach of their network, and this collaboration between Pierce Transit, Via and Transit brings the power of on-demand transportation to riders’ fingertips.

In December 2022, Pierce Transit launched a ticketing integration powered by Token Transit in the Transit app. With the addition of this on-demand transit integration, Pierce Transit provides its riders an end-to-end digital experience for planning, tracking, paying for, and now requesting rides.

Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus commented “I’m excited to announce that the Pierce Transit Runner service is now available for booking within Pierce Transit’s all-in-one Transit App. The Transit App allows our customers the ability to quickly access bus and Runner information on the go, enables seamless trip planning, and offers a simple way to find first-and-last-mile connections from the Runner service into the fixed-route system. This is just one of many steps Pierce Transit is taking toward elevating the Customer experience.”

“Integrating Pierce Transit Runner to Transit is a macro win for microtransit in Pierce County,” said David Block-Schacter, Chief Business Officer at Transit. “By making the service accessible in the app riders are already using to plan and pay for multimodal trips, Pierce Transit is helping its customers make the most of its entire network. We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Pierce Transit and bring the people of Pierce County an easy way to use Pierce Transit Runner as the flexible option to simplify their commutes.”

Transit is available in the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting www.transitapp.com.

About Pierce Transit: Founded in 1979, Pierce Transit is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry. Pierce Transit covers 292 square miles of Pierce County with roughly 70% of the county population. Serving Washington’s second largest county, Pierce Transit provides four types of service: bus, SHUTTLE paratransit, on-demand Runner microtransit and Rideshare that help get passengers to jobs, schools and appointments.

About Transit: Transit is the app that makes life better without a car in more than 300 cities worldwide. Millions of public transit riders rely on its accurate real-time updates, intuitive step-by-step navigation, and helpful crowdsourcing features. The app gives riders powerful tools to speak up for better car-free transportation and helps transit agencies bring together fare payment, on-demand transit, bikeshare, scooters, carshare, taxis, and more. Transit is based in Montréal, Québec. Learn more at www.transitapp.com.

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Trip Planner Help

Trip Planner Tips - Entering Locations

To create a trip plan you need to enter both a starting location (origin) and an ending location (destination). For information about stops, schedules, or service at a specific location, you only need to enter one location.

The Trip Planner recognizes most street intersections and addresses as well as many landmarks in Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties. If what you entered is not immediately recognized, the Trip Planner will offer you a list of options. You can choose one of the options, but if your intended location is not there, select the "Revise Original Entries" link to return to the entry page and change the entries you have already made.

Addresses

You don't need to type in the city along with the address. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type 110 Jones instead of 110 Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 1000 Main instead of 1000 S Main. But type 1000 West Viewmont for 1000 West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets and addresses are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby location, such as an intersection or a landmark.
You should not enter the suite number or apartment number. Just the house number and street name (Example: type in 401 Broadway instead of 401 Broadway Avenue Suite 800).

Intersections

The "&" symbol is the only character used between two street names to show an intersection. (Examples: 1st & B, James & Madison)
You don't need to type in the city. The Trip Planner shows the possible city names as options if needed. City names are based on zip codes.
You don't need to type in St., Street, Ave., or Avenue, or similar street types. The Trip Planner shows the possible alternatives as options if needed. (Example: type Conifer & Jones instead of Conifer Circle & Jones Boulevard.)
You don't need to type in the directional designations for streets, but if a direction name is part of a street name, you should include it. (Example: type 3rd & Main instead of 3rd S & S Main. But type 34th & West Viewmont for 34th W & West Viewmont Way W.)
Some streets are unknown to the Trip Planner. You may need to enter another nearby intersection or a landmark.

Landmarks

Government Sites: Pierce County Health Dept, Pierce Co Sheriffs Office, Tacoma City Hall

Major Commercial Sites: Tacoma Mall, Sheraton Hotel

Transportation Facilities: Sea-Tac Airport, Greyhound Bus Depot

Schools & Colleges: Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma Community College

Sports & Leisure: Cheney Stadium, Pt Defiance Zoo

Medical Facilities: Group Health, Tacoma General Hospital