Pierce County residents without air conditioning or a car can catch a free bus ride to a cooling center or shelter starting Tuesday, August 4, through Friday, August 7, as high heat and wildfire smoke settle over the region.
Pierce Transit announced the free rides on Monday, August 3, in partnership with Pierce County Human Services. The program covers all three of the agency's service types: fixed-route buses, Runner on-demand transit, and SHUTTLE paratransit for registered customers.
No pass or voucher is needed. Riders just tell the driver they're headed to or from a cooling center or shelter, and the fare is waived for the round trip. Free rides run from the start of service Tuesday through end of service Friday.
Cooling shelters are open in Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup, Parkland, and Gig Harbor, according to Pierce Transit's announcement. Pierce County maintains a full list of shelter locations and availability at piercecountywa.gov.
This is the second time Pierce Transit has activated the program this summer. The agency first offered free cooling-center rides July 19–21, then extended that round through July 23 as temperatures stayed elevated.
The free rides come as wildfire smoke from Eastern Washington and Southern British Columbia drifts into Pierce County, triggering an Air Quality Alert through 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 5. The National Weather Service warned that PM2.5 concentrations could reach "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" levels.How to ride
- Fixed-route bus: Board any Pierce Transit bus and tell the driver you're going to a cooling center.
- Runner on-demand: Book through the Pierce Transit On-Demand app or call 253-581-8000, option 4. Runner operates in Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Ruston, Spanaway, Tideflats, and JBLM zones, daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m.
- SHUTTLE paratransit: Available to pre-registered SHUTTLE customers only. SHUTTLE provides door-to-door shared-ride service.
For questions, call Pierce Transit customer service at 253-581-8000.
