C-TRAN held an open house Wednesday and is asking riders for their opinions on potential changes to routes and services, and the hope is that if any changes are adopted, they will go into effect by September 2025
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
C-TRAN officials held their final open house to discuss September 2025 Service Change Concepts on Wednesday, but there remain other options to keep the discussion moving forward.
Wednesday’s event was held at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in east Vancouver, an opportunity for riders to learn about possible changes to some routes, introduce a new route, and the plan to bring the Current to Battle Ground.
C-TRAN officials expect a formal public hearing to take place at its Board of Directors Meeting in May, with the potential for the adoption vote to occur in June. If passed, the changes will be made effective in September.
Eric Florip, manager of communications and marketing for C-TRAN, said it is important for C-TRAN to listen to their riders before making changes.
“Overall, the feedback has been very positive,” Florip said. “With any service change, we hear comments specific to what we are proposing, and we also hear other ideas and suggestions. That’s why we are here, too. It’s an important part of the process to hear what people’s ideas are. Even if it’s something we can’t implement right away, it still helps inform future decisions.”
So far, Florip said many riders are showing a lot of interest in a potential new route. Route 12 would go from the Vancouver Mall to Fisher’s Landing via 112th Ave/Chkalov Drive before turning on SE Seventh St. SE 136th Ave., and SE McGillivray Blvd.
Another concept change would bring The Current to Battle Ground.
“The Current essentially operates like a ride-share service, like an Uber or a Lyft. It’s an on-demand service that anybody can ride on demand or you can schedule a trip up to two days in advance,” Florip said.
The Current brings riders from point to point within any service zone, or it can take a rider to a transfer location to connect with other spots in the C-TRAN service area. The Current opened in other areas of Clark County in 2022.
If this concept change is approved, The Current will have its own Battle Ground service zone.
“If you lived anywhere in the city limits of Battle Ground, you could ride The Current from your front door to Albertson’s and back home,” Florip said, as one example of its use.
The cost? Same as a bus: $1.25 per trip.
Beyond the Open Houses on these change concepts, C-TRAN is also conducting a survey on a potential change to Route 92, serving Camas and Washougal and into east Vancouver.
For a full list of Service Change Concepts, and to share your opinion, go to: https://www.c-tran.com/2025-concepts
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Buses and Vans are more flexible in vehicle size and route compared to fixed track light rail, and far less costly that $Billions for a outdated train system, tracks below, wires above like the trolleys of the early 1900’s. A few years ago, I attended a similar outreach at Fisher’s Landing and suggested that a route to the airport could be beneficial.C-tran sought input, and an airport route was added some years after that. If demand is not enough for a bus, a van could be employed. A flexible and responsive public transit system is a better fit for Clark County than the MAX light rail that has drained so much from the economy wherever it goes. In OR, employers pay a payroll tax for costly light rail, transportation $ that could go to maintaining roads are diverted to the expensive operations and maintenance for light rail, and many roads have potholes. In Portland, I saw a sign posted with a pothole hotline to call. Seems like the local roads are in better repair in Clark County, serving vehicles including public transit buses and vans. However, Vancouver removal of traffic lanes has been a big hit to our local road system.