(1)(a) The department of transportation shall develop an annual report summarizing the status of public transportation systems in the state for the previous calendar year. By December 1st of each year, the report must be made available to the transportation committees of the legislature and to each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, and to individual members of the municipality's legislative authority.

(b) To assist the department with preparation of the report, each municipality shall file a system report by September 1st of each year with the state department of transportation identifying its public transportation services for the previous calendar year and its objectives for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of those services. The system report shall address those items required for each public transportation system in the department's report.

(c) The department report shall describe individual public transportation systems, including contracted transportation services and dial-a-ride services, and include a statewide summary of public transportation issues and data. The descriptions shall include the following elements and such other elements as the department deems appropriate after consultation with the municipalities and the transportation committees of the legislature:

(i) Equipment and facilities, including vehicle replacement standards;

(ii) Services and service standards;

(iii) Revenues, expenses, and ending balances, by fund source;

(iv) Policy issues and system improvement objectives, including community participation in development of those objectives and how those objectives address statewide transportation priorities;

(v) Operating indicators applied to public transportation services, revenues, and expenses. Operating indicators shall include operating cost per passenger trip, operating cost per revenue vehicle service hour, passenger trips per revenue service hour, passenger trips per vehicle service mile, vehicle service hours per employee, and farebox revenue as a percent of operating costs.

(d) To the extent that information is available, the department report must include descriptive information on any other modes of public transportation, the impact of public transportation on transportation system performance, and how public transportation helps the state meet the transportation system policy goals described in RCW 47.04.280.

(2)(a) The department of transportation shall develop an annual report summarizing the status of public transportation system coordination in and between counties with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that border Puget Sound for the previous calendar year. By December 1st of each year, the report must be made available to the transportation committees of the legislature and to each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, located in a county with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that borders Puget Sound and to individual members of the municipality's legislative authority.

(b) To assist the department with preparation of the report required under this subsection, each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, located in a county with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that borders Puget Sound shall file a report by September 1st of each year with the department identifying its coordination efforts in the previous calendar year with other municipalities, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, located in counties with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that border Puget Sound in the following areas:

(i) Integrating marketing efforts;

(ii) Aligning fare structures;

(iii) Integrating service planning;

(iv) Coordinating long-range planning, including capital projects planning and implementation;

(v) Integrating other administrative functions and internal business processes as appropriate; and

(vi) Integrating certain customer-focused tools and initiatives.

Effective date—2015 3rd sp.s. c 11: "This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately [July 6, 2015]." [ 2015 3rd sp.s. c 11 § 5.]

Intent—2015 3rd sp.s. c 11: "The central Puget Sound is projected to grow considerably, in both population and jobs, over the course of the next several decades. It is thus critical that all its transportation infrastructure be well planned and coordinated, including its transit systems. It is the intent of the legislature to encourage this planning and coordination on the part of central Puget Sound transit systems in order to improve the user experience, increase ridership, and make the most effective use of tax dollars." [ 2015 3rd sp.s. c 11 § 1.]

Findings—Intent—Part headings—Effective dates—2005 c 319: See notes following RCW 43.17.020.