Grant Transit Authority opens new transit center

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Transit Authority opened its brand-new bus garage with a ribbon cutting July 31. With the new transit center came an expanded bus schedule.

The transit center is located at the intersection of Fifth and Division streets in Moses Lake; construction began in late 2016 and continued over the harsh winter.

The building has indoor and outdoor seating for passengers, and a place to buy tickets indoors. There are offices for GTA personnel and a meeting room.

Bus service has been expanded to Othello, with a stop in Warden. Monday through Friday routes were added to Wenatchee and Ellensburg, and buses are traveling between Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy and Warden more frequently.

The Wenatchee route also makes stops in Ephrata and Quincy. The Ellensburg route, depending on the bus, goes from Moses Lake through Quincy and George, or from Moses Lake through Warden, Othello and Royal City. Riders have their choice.

Bus runs were added to some routes, so that buses are scheduled every 30 minutes on those routes, said Michael Wagner, GTA general manager. Weekend routes continue in Moses Lake, to Big Bend Community College, and from Moses Lake to Quincy, Ephrata and Soap Lake and back. There’s a separate weekend route between Moses Lake and Warden.

Ephrata mayor and GTA board chair Bruce Reim was the keynote speaker at the dedication, and said the new transit center represented “the culmination of a heck of a lot of work.” Many different groups worked together to ensure the facility was completed successfully, Reim said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.