Regular bus to Ephrata to stop running

The bus between Grand Coulee and Ephrata will only run on request, transit officials have decided. They announced that decision at a meeting in Grand Coulee last week.

Grant Transit Authority will remove their regularly scheduled route connecting Grand Coulee to Ephrata and Moses Lake and will begin offering it only upon request with 48 hours’ notice.

The change comes as a result of the cost of running the route. That cost is unjustified with the bus being empty regularly, GTA Board Member Bruce Reim said at a public meeting in Grand Coulee held in October.

That assessment might seem to contradict a testimonial statement offered on GTA’s homepage online. “I am grateful to have this reliable service to get to work,” the page quotes a “Warden to Grand Coulee rider” as saying.

But GTA held another public meeting last week to discuss the changes. Only a few people attended the meeting that started at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Grand Coulee City Hall. There was no resistance expressed to the change. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Those who wish to ride the route can request it by calling 1-800-406-9177 and speaking to a customer service representative or a dispatcher. An individual must call to cancel the ride if they will not be going.

“The transportation will be at the same times currently available, and the stops will also remain the same,” said Brandy Heston, administrative services manager at GTA.

More information is available at http://www.granttransit.com.