LAKEWOOD, WA — Pierce Transit’s Lakewood Customer Service “Bus Shop” will close its doors to the public on October 18, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. ADA Eligibility and Training will remain at the Lakewood location. All other customer service functions will move to the Tacoma Dome Station (TDS) Bus Shop. Saturday sales and bus information phone services will no longer be available on Saturdays.

The closure of the Lakewood Bus Shop is part of Pierce Transit’s plan to consolidate its three Bus Shop locations into the existing Bus Shop at TDS. The Bus Shop Downtown (Commerce Street) will close on November 15, 2013 at 4:00 p.m., and the TDS Bus Shop will begin its new operating hours the same day. TDS walk-in sales will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and phone information will be available from 6:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Hours may vary on or around holidays.

In addition to the TDS Bus Shop, Pierce Transit customers have other convenient customer service options for purchasing and revaluing their ORCA cards. These options include retail stores, ticket vending machines, online at orca.com, signing up for autoload, and by phone. SHUTTLE passes can be purchased at TDS Bus Shop, online at piercetransit.org or by mail using a pass order form.

The Bus Shop consolidation is part of the Agency’s continuing efforts to improve its operational efficiency and preserve as much transit service to the public as possible. Pierce Transit currently provides about 393,518 local service hours per year, down from 622,000 local service hours in 2008. Based on unexpected improvements in sales tax revenue growth, the Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners voted in favor of delaying service reductions planned for September, 2013 until early 2015.

For further information regarding Pierce Transit services, visit http://www.piercetransit.org.