If you’ve been riding Whatcom Transit Authority buses in recent days, you’ve likely noticed that you’ve been able to walk on without paying. Bus operators will wave you through. That’s because WTA Fare Free Days started on August 9 and wrap up on Saturday.

Here are the details from a WTA service notice:

Free Fare Days is an opportunity for regular riders and newcomers to experience the ease and efficiency of WTA's bus services at no cost. WTA's Free Fare Days coincide with the Northwest Washington Fair, allowing fairgoers to hop on the bus to Lynden and enjoy the fair without the expenses and hassle of driving, parking, and gas. During Free Fare Days, WTA's Route 26 will provide regular bus service to the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds.
Weekday service will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 8:48 p.m., Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sundays from 8:05 a.m. to 6:05 p.m. On weekdays, we're offering one extra evening departure from the Fairgrounds on Route 26. You can catch the last bus on Front Street at Fairside at 8:50 pm. The bus serves all stops between the Fairgrounds and Cordata Station. Our regular evening service at Cordata Station will be available to take passengers further south as needed.

In a recent interview with the Cascadia Daily News, BhamByBus offered some thoughts about WTA’s Free Fare Days: “For those who are new to transit or rarely use the bus, Free Fare Days can be a good opportunity to explore Bellingham and Whatcom County and figure out ways the bus might be able to get them to the places they’d ordinarily drive to.” Additionally, WTA bus routes serve some of Bellingham’s most popular destinations, including Fairhaven, Whatcom Falls Park, and Taylor Dock, all of which have limited parking, especially during the height of summer tourist season.  

Cars, SUVs and trucks parked in angled parking spaces, including an electric plug-in vehicle at a charging station.
There's limited parking at Taylor Dock, so 10th Street is often clogged with cars, trucks, and SUVs, plus stressed-out motorists searching for spaces. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

Another suggestion BhamByBus offered up to the Cascadia Daily News was aimed at parents in search of free entertainment for their kids: Although BhamByBus doesn’t have children, from 20-plus years of riding buses across the U.S., it’s clearly evident that many younger kids really dig riding buses (and trains) and watching the world around them go by. While there wasn’t enough available CDN real estate to go into detail, our theory is that kids don’t necessarily like being restrained in child-safety seats while being chauffeured from Point A to Point B around town. Plus an ordinary bus trip can be a great adventure for kids. Youth ride WTA buses for free anyways, so take advantage, parents! 

And you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy what BhamByBus has come to describe as a “Cordata Parkway Loop-de-Loop,” where Route 232 buses en route to Cordata Station complete a full 360-degree journey around the Cordata Parkway & Westerly Road roundabout before pulling into WTA’s Cordata bus terminus. (Check out an Instagram Reel from BhamByBus to experience the circumnavigation of “The Gate” public art installation in the center of the roundabout. Downtown-bound Route 331 buses do a similar loop-de-loop leaving Cordata Station where buses circumnavigate the roundabout at Cordata Parkway & Kellogg Road.)

Using Avenue Bread Sandwiches as a Point of Comparison

Free bus rides can be a nice perk for regular local bus riders – and makes the boarding process faster. WTA’s Free Fare Days are certainly appreciated and a good way for those who haven’t discovered the joys of transit to dip their toes into the car-free or car-lite waters. But Free Fare Days are also an important reference point for WTA’s wondrous fare-capping structure and the current high costs of driving, especially for those who may be on a fixed income or otherwise struggling with high costs of living.

In conversations BhamByBus has had with folks around town in recent months, many Bellinghamsters don’t seem to realize that if you use WTA buses to get around town, the $30 monthly pass is roughly the same cost as ordering two sandwiches at Avenue Bread, most of which are around $15 each. It's an eye-opening cost comparison. (In a Reddit discussion on r/Bellingham a few months back where someone returning to Bellingham after a decade away from the City of Subdued Excitement wondered about what’s changed, someone kindly noted how WTA buses are “still $1 a ride” after so many years.) 

A lunch plate with a sandwich and potato chips.
A sandwich at Avenue Bread. (Photo by Michael Grass / BhamByBus)

While BhamByBus can’t personally attest to all the financial impacts of car ownership in the mid-2020s, it’s safe to assume that the combined costs of a car payment, auto insurance, gasoline, catalytic converter thefts, unexpected repairs and regular maintenance, and parking fees these days eclipse the price of two sandwiches at Avenue Bread.   

If you’re new to local transit in Bellingham, WTA makes taking advantage of the $3/day and $30/month farecap pretty much effortless for passengers who use a Umo Mobility card or app to pay their fare. Since the daily and monthly farecap is automatically factored in, you don’t actually have to purchase a day pass or monthly pass. Once you’ve spent $30 in any month riding buses around Bellingham and Whatcom County, you ride free through the end of the month. Similarly, you’ll never spend more than $3 on WTA bus rides on any single day thanks to the farecapping structure. It’s that simple. (Check out WTA’s complete fare information, including details about subsidized fares for those who qualify, including seniors and veterans.) 

For BhamByBus, the $30 monthly farecap usually kicks in a few days before any month’s midpoint, so it’s not unusual to then ride WTA buses for free for approximately 15 days through the end of the month.

It’s certainly true that WTA buses don't go everywhere, but they go to many places Bellinghamsters already go to. It should go without saying that $30 a month in local transportation costs is a sweet deal in a place that’s increasingly expensive to live. That's especially true for seniors on fixed incomes who want to age in place but are struggling to make ends meet and service-sector workers being priced out of town.

As WTA looks to improve the local bus network in the coming years, including increasing service on certain routes and offering new connections to popular destinations, like Bellingham’s Waterfront District and Squalicum Harbor, let’s hope more Bellinghamsters realize that transit is indeed for everyone and not simply the transportation mode of last resort.