About Us

The City of Longview has been operating RiverCities Transit since it acquired the system in 1975. At that time, the City of Kelso and Cowlitz County contributed general revenues toward the expense of operating the transit system. In 1987, the citizens of Longview and Kelso voted to create a Public Transportation Benefit Area Authority (PTBA), establish a 0.1% sales tax to fund the public transit system, and create the Cowlitz Transit Authority (CTA) to govern the PTBA. The community later voted to increase the sale tax rate to 0.3% in 2008. The CTA consists of two Longview City Council members, two Kelso City Council members, and one Cowlitz County Commissioner. The CTA contracts with Longview to provide public transit services with funding provided by the CTA.