Transportation Services
Investing in Transportation
In 2024, STA began direct management of transit funding that was previously administered by the Center of Community, including funding for the RIDE and para-transit services. On November 1st 2024, Sitka Tribal Enterprises began overseeing transportation. In keeping with the Tribe’s goal of expanding sovereignty, STA has completed negotiations with the U.S. Department of Transportation to participate in its Tribal Self-Governance program, and a compact was signed on January 14th, 2025.
STA is dedicated to providing transportation services and contributing funds for transportation infrastructure improvements to the community of Sitka.
The RIDE
Sitka Tribe operates the RIDE, which offers scheduled curb-to-curb, fixed-route bus service around Sitka from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, not including holidays. Our blue buses are easy to spot on Sitka’s main roads!
For day-to-day information, schedules, fares, etc., contact the Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s transit line at 747-7103 from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday. You can leave a message at other times and days. You also can send an email to steadmin@sitkatribe-nsn.gov for assistance.
Monthly passes and punch cards can be purchased at Old Harbor Books, Sea Mart, and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska / Tribal Headquarters (204 Siginaka Way).
Children younger than age 6 ride free with an older passenger.
Single-ride and daily passes are sold on buses. Monthly passes and punchcards can be purchased at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Headquarters (204 Siganaka Way), Old Harbor Books (201 Lincoln Street), or SeaMart (1867 Halibut Point Road).
Questions? Call the RIDE Hotline at (907) 747-7103
RATE DEFINITIONS
Children under 5 ride free with their guardian or chaperone
Child – 6 to 17 years old
Senior – 60 years and older
Disabled – Documented Disablility
Adult – 18 to 59 years old
The RIDE will have suspended service in observance of the following Holidays:
- New Years Day, Jan 1st
- Memorial Day, last Monday in May
- Independence Day, July 4th
- Labor Day, first Monday in September
- Alaska Day, October 18th
- Thanksgiving, last Thursday of November
- Christmas Day, December 25th
All of the RIDE blue buses are equipped with bike racks on the front of the buses. These racks hold two bikes each, and are a good way to get home if you have a mechanical problem on your ride (or the weather turns nasty on you). The racks are similar to those used by numerous transportation systems around the country.
How to load your bike:
To open the bike rack, squeeze the handle at the center of the rack and pull forward.
Place your front tire in the slot marked “Front Wheel Here”
Pull the hook out and loop it over your front tire so it retracts to a spot near your front fork
The RIDE runs three routes — Red Line (Halibut Point Road), Blue Line (Sawmill Creek Road), and Green Line (Japonski Island and Indian River). The map below shows the routes in relation to the map of Sitka.
All routes leave Crescent Harbor parking lot downtown at 45 minutes past the hour. The Green route also leaves Crescent Harbor parking lot at 15 minutes past the hour.
$2.00 per one-way ride for adults. $1.00 for seniors (age 60 or older), children (age 6-17), or persons with disabilities. Children five and under ride free with their guardian or chaperone.
Call (907) 747-7103 for information about the RIDE.
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska wrote this Passenger Code of Conduct for users of the RIDE, which lists the rules and regulations of the bus service and possible penalties. In addition to the obvious rules about liquor, drugs and weapons, the Code of Conduct also has information about traveling with animals, bicycles, large amounts of luggage, and more. These rules are in place for the safety and awareness of all passengers using the RIDE buses, and they are designed to create a fair and safe environment for everyone.
The RIDE’s fixed-route service is accessible to persons with disabilities:
- All blue buses have lifts or ramps for accessibility.
- Drivers are trained to assist you.
- Drivers provide information on destinations served.
- Buses are accessible to persons in wheelchairs.
- Drivers deploy ramps/lifts upon request, even if you do not use a wheelchair.**
- Buses have priority seating for seniors and persons with disabilities.
- Drivers announce stops, including any stop you request be announced.
- Persons using portable oxygen and respirators are welcome on buses.
**Lifts are deployed for entrance/exit of riders, not for loading of large or numerous items that rider cannot carry or roll aboard.
Your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Reasonable Modification Policy: Passengers with disabilities may request modifications to current service procedures to access the service. To make a request, please call us at 747-7103 or email us at steadmin@sitkatribe-nsn.gov. Please submit requests at least one business day before the trip.
Passengers with disabilities may request modifications to current service procedures to access the service or to remove a discrimination situation based on passenger’s disability.
Please submit requests as soon as possible, if possible at least one business day before the trip. The transit manager at RIDE or Care-A-Van will attempt to respond to same-day requests but a request in advance is more likely to be granted.
The RIDE will not charge additional fees for passengers requiring reasonable modifications.
ADA Complaints
If you have a complaint about the accessibility of our transit system or service, or believe you have been discriminated against because of your disability, you can file a complaint. Please provide all facts and circumstances surrounding your issue or complaint so we can fully investigate the incident. If you are unable to complete a written complaint due to a disability or if information is needed in another language we can assist you.
Please contact us at (907) 747-7103 or steadmin@sitkatribe-nsn.gov for questions or to file your complaint.
To be Free of Discrimination in Public Transit Services
Sitka’s Coordinated Public Transit system is operated by Sitka Tribe of Alaska and Catholic Community Services, Inc. These agencies all operate their public transit programs and services without regard to race, color, or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes that she or he has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with our agency.
Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with this agency within 180 days following the date of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. For information on our nondiscrimination obligations or how to file a complaint, please contact Sitka Tribe of Alaska by any of the methods listed below.
Agency Name and Address: Sitka Tribe of Alaska Transit Office
204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, Alaska 99835
Phone: (907) 747-7103
Email:jackie.ojala@sitkatribe-nsn.gov
If this information is needed in another language, please contact us.
Si se necesita esta información en otro idioma, por favor póngase en contacto con nosotros.
Kung ang impormasyong ito ay kailangan sa ibang wika, mangyaring makipag-ugnay sa amin
If you have other complaints or questions, you can contact Sitka Tribe of Alaska at (907) 747-7103 or at steadmin@sitkatribe-nsn.gov. You have a right to appeal to Sitka Tribe of Alaska about any grievance with either of our public transit services, if you are not satisfied with the response to your concern that you received.
Care-A-Van
Care-A-Van, operated by our partner Southeast Senior Services, provides safe transportation for seniors age 60+, and people with disabilities who are unable to ride The RIDE public bus. The white Care-a-Van buses operate Monday through Friday, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., not including holidays.
The Care-A-Van paratransit service is a door to door service, which means the paratransit buses pick up riders — at the house door if rider needs assistance — from their homes, appointments, shopping, events, etc., and take the riders where they need to go — and up to the door of the destination. Drivers are trained to assist a rider from door to bus and bus to door, including helping with a number of small to moderate packages and may be available to help with errands, such as small package pick-ups and deliveries, call the Senior Center for details.
All rides are pre-scheduled by calling the Swan Lake Senior Center dispatch office, 907-747-8617, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (from 5-9 p.m. on Monday through Friday, call 738-1333 to request a ride). You also can send an email to transit@cfc.org for assistance.
If you have a complaint about services on the Care-A-Van’s white buses, please contact the Swan Lake Senior Center as described above.
The Care-A-Van gives priority to ride requests that have been pre-scheduled (like a medical appointment) and tries to meet as many “same day” requests for rides as possible. However, same-day requests cannot always be met to the satisfaction of a potential rider. If a rider does not need the driver’s door-to-door assistance, the rider may find it quicker to use the RIDE’s blue buses, if the rider’s starting and end points are near one of the RIDE’s routes. (The RIDE blue buses are all accessible with either a lift or a ramp into a low floor bus.)
All seniors, age 60 or older, are eligible. (Suggested donation of $1 per one-way ride.)
Persons younger than age 60 can become eligible to ride Care-A-Van in one of two ways, as shown below. Either way, the rider younger than age 60 is required to pay a fare of $2 per one way ride.
For short-term use of Care-A-Van (up to one month), the potential rider is required to provide a letter from rider’s physician stating: (a) the rider’s need to use Care-A-Van, (b) that the rider is not able to drive and not able to use the RIDE’s blue bus services, and (c) the anticipated length of time that the rider is anticipated to need to use Care-A-Van (extensions can be obtained). The Swan Lake Senior Center will also ask the rider to complete a rider demographics questionnaire.
For long-term use of Care-A-Van, the potential rider must apply to the Sitka public transit system (through Center for Community) and be found to have a disabling condition that makes the rider incapable of using the RIDE’s blue bus services. This is called ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) paratransit eligibility, and if the rider is found to be eligible will be able to use the Sitka Care-A-Van door-to-door services. An ADA paratransit eligible-rider will be issued a card that will allow rider short-term use of paratransit services on any paratransit system in the country. (Local rules will apply about fares and about the length of time that a “visitor” can use the service without registering for local paratransit services.)
Personal Care Attendants escorting paratransit riders: Each rider who is eligible may bring along one personal care attendant, at no charge, if the rider needs the attendant’s help during travel on Care-A-Van, or needs the attendant’s help at the rider’s destination (such as the attendant helping the rider to do rider’s grocery shopping). One attendant rides free with the eligible paratransit rider. Service animals and children accompanying a qualifying adult are also welcome.
How to Apply for Paratransit ADA Eligibility: ask for the application at the Swan Lake Senior Center or at STA Headquarters.
Care-A-Van’s route service is accessible to persons with disabilities:
- All buses are equipped with ramps or lifts for accessibility.
- Drivers are trained to assist you.
- Buses are accessible to persons in wheelchairs.
- Drivers deploy ramps/lifts upon request, even if you do not use a wheelchair. **
- Persons using portable oxygen and respirators are welcome on buses.
**Lifts are deployed for entrance/exit of riders, not for loading of large or numerous items that rider cannot carry or roll aboard.
The Care-A-Van paratransit (white) buses: Passengers with disabilities may request modifications to current service procedures to access the service. To make a request, please call us at 747-8617 or email us at lee.house@ccsjuneau.org. Please submit requests at least one business day before the trip.
Southeast Senior Services has written the attached 16-page rider’s manual to help seniors and others learn more about its paratransit services. The rider’s manual also includes some rules and responsibilities for riders.
Our goal is to offer you safe, convenient and reliable transportation. If, after reading this booklet, you have questions regarding Care-A-Van service, please phone the Swan Lake Senior Center at 747-8617. Hearing impaired customers may call the same number and communicate via TDD. Copies of this booklet will be made available in Braille and on audio cassette upon request.
Tribal Transportation Program
STA receives an annual allocation of federal Tribal Transportation Program funds that can be used for road and bridge construction and maintenance and other transportation infrastructure projects, as well as to meet matching funds for infrastructure projects and the purchase of buses. In the past, STA has used these funds in partnership with the City and Borough of Sitka on projects to benefit the whole community, such as improvements to Indian River Road.