Date:  Thursday, November 17, 2011

Contact: Noel Brady, WSDOT communications, 206-464-1183 (Seattle)
Stephen Abernathy, Intercity Bus Program manager, 360-705-7929 (Olympia)

WALLA WALLA – Some things just get better with age. Take the Grape Line – a reliable way to travel the so-called Napa Valley of Washington.

On Friday, Nov. 18, the Grape Line marks its fourth anniversary as a popular choice that goes well with anything from Walla Walla to Pasco. Ridership continues to grow, from 448 passengers in 2007 to more than 8,800 passengers in 2010. To date, the Grape Line has served more than 27,700 passengers.

The Grape Line is the premier intercity bus line of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Travel Washington program. Since launching in November 2007, the Grape Line has provided south central Washington with an affordable and accessible travel option.

Each of the line’s 20-passenger buses, operated under contract by the Central Washington Airporter, is equipped with high-back reclining passenger seats, a wheelchair lift, two wheelchair stations, a bike rack for two bicycles and luggage storage areas. Grape Line buses make three round trips daily between Walla Walla and Pasco with connections to Greyhound, Amtrak, Ben Franklin Transit, Valley Transit and Pasco Airport.

Since the Grape Line began service, Travel Washington has grown to include four intercity bus lines across the state, each named for a defining local resource – the Apple Line running Omak-Ellensburg; the Gold Line on the Kettle Falls-Spokane run; and the Dungeness Line traveling the Port Angeles-Seattle route.

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