Yakima Transit

Yakima Transit is the primary provider of mass transportation in the city of Yakima, Washington. In 1907, the city of Yakima’s public transportation service originated with the advent of a steel-rail streetcar system. The first transit service was operated by the Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVT). The first motorized buses were introduced in 1924 as a supplement to the rail streetcar routes. The City’s all-electric streetcars were discontinued in 1947 when the services offered switched to an all-motor bus system. A private transportation company took over operation of the bus system from YVT in 1957. The private firm quit operation in 1966 and for four months there were no public transportation services in the city of Yakima. The citizens of Yakima then voted to approve the State’s first household tax in the fall of 1966 to financially support their public transit system. Public transit service was re-established under contract with a private transportation management firm. In October 1970, the City purchased the assets of the financially troubled private transportation management firm and continued transit operations ever since as a City owned and operated public transit system. In November 1980, Yakima citizens approved a 0.3 of 1% sales tax that replaced the City’s household tax as the method of financial support for the transit system.