Parshall: Everett needs robust bus connections to make light rail succeed
Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 29, 2026
The proposed consolidation of Community Transit with Everett Transit will improve transportation for people in Everett and across Snohomish County. That is especially the case as Sound Transit works to extend the much-anticipated Link light rail connection to Everett.
One consolidated transit system will increase efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure Everett is ready to meet the transit needs of residents now and in the future.
Lynnwood knows first-hand what it’s like to be “the end of the line” for light rail—the challenges and opportunities. Lynnwood has truly become the hub of Snohomish County. Imagine an Everett that plans for its future as the next great northern destination. To envision what that would be like, take a close look at what Community Transit is doing in Lynnwood.
Link arrived in Lynnwood two years ago this month. Its positive impact started immediately—and it did not stop at our city’s borders. People from across Snohomish County are taking advantage of fast, congestion-free light rail service. Watching your train zip past the cars stuck in I-5 gridlock is a satisfying experience.
Link represents a true game changer in giving people access to fast, reliable trips south to Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline, Seattle, SeaTac, and Federal Way, and east all the way to Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond. Every light rail stop represents a possible adventure.
Imagine taking a bus or Zip Shuttle from your home to Everett Station. You hop on the light rail and our entire region is open to you without the need to drive or pay for expensive parking. Would you enjoy a Seahawks, Mariners, Huskies, or Sounders game?
What about a show or concert downtown?
A delicious meal in the International District? Perhaps an outing to Pike Place Market or the Seattle Aquarium suits you best? My family has done all of these and more via bus and train from Lynnwood.
Ridership keeps growing, and every person who takes transit is someone who not only escapes congestion but helps reduce traffic and climate change. The current daily record is 300,000 riders boarding light rail on a single World Cup match day. That resulted in thousands of vehicles and their emissions staying off our roads.
The lynchpin is frequent connections between trains and buses.
On busy days in Lynnwood, our city staff estimates it would require six ADDITIONAL parking garages to meet peak demand. Since turning Lynnwood into a giant parking lot isn’t possible, we must rely on surrounding park & ride lots and the bus connections that Community Transit provides to get riders to our station. At Lynnwood City Center Station, buses arrive every 45 seconds weekday mornings to connect people to light rail.
Everett can achieve the success we are seeing in Lynnwood by dramatically expanding local bus service in the same way.
Currently, only three of Everett Transit’s 10 bus routes offer all-day service frequencies of 30 minutes or better. Only three routes run until 9 p.m. or later. Bus connections need to be more frequent and convenient to encourage ridership. Long waits and less coverage deter people from using transit.
Everett no longer needs to go it alone with their transit system. With only half the investment that other cities in the county are making, it’s likely that Everett simply won’t be able to keep up adequate service levels in the future. Joining with Community Transit will maintain existing service and then expand as Everett’s demand continues to grow.
Today, fifteen Community Transit bus routes connect to light rail in Lynnwood.
In addition, three Sound Transit bus routes and Zip Alderwood Shuttle microtransit serve the Lynnwood station. Other Community Transit routes serve light rail stations in Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline.
That kind of high frequency service makes it feasible for people from all over Snohomish County to travel via light rail. Once again, those bus connections to nearby park & rides are vital for getting people out of their cars and onto mass transit. Visit Lynnwood Station near quitting time and you’ll see savvy commuters hop off light rail and onto a bus.
The Community Transit Swift Orange Line reaches the Swamp Creek Park & Ride on 164th in just minutes. Almost the entire bus empties as people find their cars for the last leg home. Everett will need connections just like these and Community Transit knows how to make it happen.
My city is reaping huge transportation and economic benefits today as tens of thousands of people travel into Lynnwood each day on their way to Seattle or the Eastside. More people have moved to the city because of these great transit connections and our transit-oriented development. Our hotels are busier because visitors know they can get around the region easily. Light rail is a boon for our Lynnwood Event Center and burgeoning restaurant scene. I hope to take the light rail from Lynnwood to Everett for an AquaSox game someday. Our two cities both benefit from stronger connections.
The level of bus service needed in Everett is beyond what Everett Transit can provide on its own. The vision for light rail has always been for people to be able to travel easily and quickly all around the Puget Sound region, but not everyone can live near a station. We call light rail from Everett to Tacoma “the spine” but the spine is not enough.
We need the muscle of buses and Zip Shuttles that Community Transit will provide connecting Everett residents to that spine. Everett’s transportation future will be stronger if the city embraces the long-term transit planning that consolidation will provide.
David Parshall is a Lynnwood City Councilmember who also serves on the Community Transit and Sound Transit boards of directors.
