Link Transit expands routes, adds early morning and weekend service

WENATCHEE — Link Transit launched expanded public transportation services across North Central Washington on January 6, adding earlier departure times and enhanced weekend coverage to 11 routes throughout the region.

The transit authority implemented schedule changes focused on early morning commuter service and increased weekend connectivity between major regional hubs, marking one of the largest schedule adjustments in recent years for the system serving the greater Wenatchee Valley and surrounding communities.

New weekday additions included early morning departures on several routes, with Route 2 East Wenatchee to Walmart beginning service at 6 a.m. and Route 18 adding a pre-dawn departure at 4:59 a.m. from Olds Station to Wenatchee Valley College.

The Route 22 corridor between Wenatchee and Leavenworth adjusted departure times throughout the day, with four trips shifting by five to ten minutes to optimize service delivery. The transit authority also eliminated on-call service in Peshastin, replacing it with regular scheduled stops on all Route 22 trips.

Weekend service grew on intercity routes. The Wenatchee-Chelan Route 21 added three additional round trips on both Saturday and Sunday. Route 22's weekend service increased to 45-minute frequency between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Route 28 between Wenatchee and Cashmere introduced Sunday service for the first time, offering five daily departures from Columbia Station.

Route 32, serving Leavenworth's local area, adjusted to 30-minute intervals between buses, while Route 25 to Waterville underwent schedule restructuring with new morning service times.

Link Transit made new schedule books available to passengers prior to the changes, with digital schedules updating automatically on the morning of the service change.