Link Transit, Wenatchee Downtown Assoc. Partner On Campaign

Link Transit and the Wenatchee Downtown Association are teaming up to encourage more downtown commuters and shoppers to use public transit. 

A campaign called "Try Transit Thursdays" will be in place during August and September. 

Link Transit spokesperson Eric West says most of their routes converge on downtown, which means a very high number of buses pass through the area every day. 

"We're probably looking in excess of a couple of hundred individual buses, trips that travel through the downtown area to some degree," said West. 

Link Transit staff will be stationed at Hedeen Plaza every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. offering giveaways and prizes for riders. They'll also be able to answer transit questions, assist with route planning and demonstrate the myStop mobile app for tracking buses. 

The buses arriving downtown on a frequent basis include the long-distance routes to Leavenworth and Chelan, 

West says riders can catch a bus on Wenatchee Avenue without waiting long at all. 

"The corridor from Sellars Bridge, basically the south end (of Wenatchee), all the way to Maple Street (north), there's 15-minute frequency on that section of Wenatchee Avenue between those routes," West said. "They run every half hour, but they're set off by 15 minutes." 

The "Try Transit Thursdays" campaign kicks off next Thursday, August 1. 

Wenatchee Downtown Association Executive Director Rosa Pulidos says using the transit offers a number of benefits. 

"Parking downtown can be a hassle," said Pulido. "By taking Link Transit, you can skip the search for a spot, and since all Link services are free, it's a fantastic way to save on gas money. It's a win-win!" 

Almost all Link Transit routes pass through downtown on Chelan Avenue, Mission Street or Wenatchee Avenue, or arrive at Columbia Station on the edge of downtown.