People will be able to take public transportation from Longview to Centralia and back thanks to a partnership between local transit companies.
RiverCities Transit is starting a new route from Longview to Castle Rock, which will connect to a Centralia-based transit agency in Castle Rock to go farther north. The route would be in conjunction with the Castle Rock service provided by the Lower Columbia Community Action Program, or CAP.
RiverCities is calling the route the North Cowlitz Connector. RiverCities and CAP buses will run a total of six times a day on weekdays from the Castle Rock Park & Ride off Interstate 5 Exit 49 to the Longview Transit Center on 12th Avenue and back. The first trip each day will return with stops in Lexington.
The route was planned to connect with a new Centralia-based Twin Transit route, which also starts Monday and stops in Castle Rock. The new routes will fill a public transit gap along the interstate by providing a way for bus passengers to get from Longview to Centralia and back. CAP Transit also provides rides south to Vancouver.
RiverCities buses will make the trip four times a day and the CAP Transit vehicles will run twice a day. It will take around 20 minutes for the buses to go one-way between Longview and Castle Rock.
To celebrate the launch of the North Cowlitz Connector service, RiverCities is planning to hold a week of free fare rides on all its routes beginning Monday.
