History
Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) is a municipal corporation that provides public transportation services in a 625-square-mile area in southeastern Washington State. The area includes the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Benton City, Prosser, and certain unincorporated areas of Benton and Franklin Counties. The service area contains approximately 311,500 residents.
BFT Was Formed
BFT was formed on May 11, 1981, when the voters in the service area voted to levy a 0.3 of 1% sales tax to support public transit with a 64% majority.
Dial-A-Ride Started
The Dial-A-RideA demand-responsive system providing door- to-door transportation to patrons who request service by telephone, either on an ad hoc or subscription basis. More system was started on January 1, 1982, by contract with the Benton Franklin Developmental Center. BFT assumed the operation of the Dial-A-RideA demand-responsive system providing door- to-door transportation to patrons who request service by telephone, either on an ad hoc or subscription basis. More system on January 1, 1985.
Vanpool Started
The VanpoolAn organized ridesharing arrangement in which a number of people travel together on a regular basis in a van. The van may be company owned, individually owned, leased, or owned by a third party. Expenses are shared, and there is usually a regular volunteer driver. See also Carpool. More service was initiated in September of 1982 under a contract with the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG). BFT took over VanpoolAn organized ridesharing arrangement in which a number of people travel together on a regular basis in a van. The van may be company owned, individually owned, leased, or owned by a third party. Expenses are shared, and there is usually a regular volunteer driver. See also Carpool. More operations on January 1, 1984.
Benton City and Prosser annexed
On November 4, 1997, the voters of Benton City and Prosser elected to be annexed into the Benton Franklin Public Transportation Benefit Area (PTBA) with a 62% majority. Service was contracted with the City of Prosser to provide service to the communities of Prosser and Benton City using their Prosser Rural Transit system.
BFT Takes Over Prosser and Benton City
In January 1999, BFT took over the Prosser and Benton City operations.
Sales Tax Proposition Defeated
On May 15, 2001, a sales tax proposition of 0.3 of 1% was voted on. It was narrowly defeated by 169 votes. As a result, ten commuterPassenger who travels between two points regularly. More express routes and all taxi-feeder rides were eliminated. There was also a reduction in midday service on 17 routes and a 60% cut in night service during 2001.
Sales Tax Proposition Approved
On March 12, 2002, the voters of Benton and Franklin Counties approved the sales tax proposition of 0.3 of 1%. Voting statistics by county were as follows: Franklin County–53.5% and Benton County–56.28%.
Finley Annexed
On April 26, 2005, the voters of Finley elected to be annexed to the Benton Franklin Public Transportation Benefit Area (BFPTBA) with a 65.12% majority vote.
Two Additions Made to BFT Service
During the summer of 2021, two noteworthy additions were made to BFT service. In June, the agency launched new METRO routes, also known as frequent service corridor routes. METRO routes offer service across Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, and West Richland every 15 minutes. In August, fixed route buses, Dial-A-RideA demand-responsive system providing door- to-door transportation to patrons who request service by telephone, either on an ad hoc or subscription basis. More, and BFT CONNECT all began offering service on Sundays for the first time in BFT history.