Date:  Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Contact: Noel Brady, communications, 206.464.1183 (Seattle)
Kevin Oleson, Grape Line Manager, 360-296-5866 (Walla Walla)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Grape Line buses upgrade southeastern travel link
See the new coaches at ‘Open Bus’ events in Walla Walla and Pasco

WALLA WALLA – Passengers who travel between Walla Walla and Pasco – and on to virtually anywhere else – just got an upgrade with three brand new buses for the Travel Washington Grape Line intercity bus service.

“These new 20-passenger buses offer a more comfortable ride with separate luggage compartments, bike racks and the latest equipment to make travel easier for people who use wheelchairs,” said Grape Line Manager Kevin Oleson.

Central Washington Airporter, the contracted Grape Line service provider, is hosting two “Open Bus” events to show off the new, fully equipped buses. Open Bus events will be held:
• Noon-4 p.m., Friday, Jan 29, 2010, at the Walla Walla Transit Center, 108 W. Main St. In Walla Walla
• Noon-4 p.m., Saturday, Jan 30, 2010, at the Pasco Intermodal Station, 1120 N. 22nd Ave. in Pasco.

The new Grape Line buses are the latest fruits from $1.9 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants for the Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program.

Indiana-based bus maker Turtle Top Inc. manufactured the vehicles. Each bus is equipped with high-back reclining passenger seats, a wheelchair lift, two wheelchair stations, a bike rack for two bicycles and luggage storage areas. Similar buses used for Travel Washington’s Dungeness Line on the Olympic Peninsula proved to be economical to operate and comfortable to ride.

A fourth bus is scheduled to arrive in February for Travel Washington’s Apple Line service between Omak and Ellensburg. Five more new ARRA-funded buses will join the Travel Washington fleet by springtime for a new, yet-to-be named bus line between Spokane and Kettle Falls.

“The program links major travel hubs and fills in the gaps for statewide transportation network that makes transit a reliable travel option for everyone, even people who live in rural areas,” said Stephen Abernathy, WSDOT’s Intercity Bus Program Manager. The Grape Line offers three scheduled round trips daily between Walla Walla and Pasco in southeast Washington through a partnership with WSDOT and Greyhound. It provides efficient and reliable connections in Pasco with Greyhound, Amtrak, and Ben Franklin Transit, and in Walla Walla with Valley Transit, Milton-Freewater Bus, and Columbia County Public Transportation.

Providing more accessible transit options is one way we’re managing transportation demand, one of the three primary strategies of WSDOT’s congestion-management program known as Moving Washington.

Washington state is administering the Recovery Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire created a new Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov, enabling every Washingtonian to see where their tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama appointed Vice President Biden to oversee all states' recovery efforts and root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars are put to good use and recharge the economy.

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