Spokane Transit Authority
Spokane Transit Authority, more commonly Spokane Transit or STA, is the public transport authority of central Spokane County, Washington, United States, serving Spokane, Washington, and its surrounding urban areas. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 6,995,300, or about 29,200 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023.
A 60-foot New Flyer Xcelsior articulated bus at the STA Plaza in July 2021 | |
| Formerly | Spokane United Railways (1922-1945) Spokane City Lines Company (1945-1968) Spokane Transit System (1968-1981) |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 10, 1981; 43 years ago (as the Spokane Transit Authority for Regional Transportation (START)) |
| Headquarters | 1230 W. Boone Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 |
| Locale | Spokane County, Washington (service planned to be extended to the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan area, in 2026) |
| Service area | 248 square miles (642 km2) |
| Routes | 51 |
| Destinations | Airway Heights, Cheney, Medical Lake, Millwood, Liberty Lake, Spokane, Spokane Valley, unincorporated areas of Spokane County |
| Fleet | Buses: 164, Paratransit Vans: 70, Vanpool Vans: 87 |
| Daily ridership | 29,098 (weekdays, 2023) |
| Annual ridership | 9,245,538 (2023) |
| Fuel type | Diesel, hybrid electric, and battery electric |
| Chief executive | E. Susan Meyer |
| Website | spokanetransit.com |
Originally conceived in 1980, and authorized by voters on March 10, 1981, STA provides public transportation within the Spokane County Public Transportation Benefit Area (PBTA). As of 2023, STA's service area has a population of approximately 471,000 across 248 square miles (640 km2) including the cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley, Cheney, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, the Town of Millwood, and unincorporated areas between and around those cities.
It began operating service in 1981 after acquiring the assets of the city-operated Spokane Transit System. The agency can trace its roots to a number of private transit operators extending back to 1888. While the 98th largest metropolitan area in the United States, Spokane ranks 20th in transit ridership per capita using 2019 ridership data.