Grant Transit Authority began as a demonstration project with 4 buses in November 1995. The project, deemed a success after one year, led to a November 1996 vote to establish a public transportation benefit area (PTBA) to fund a permanent system. The vote passed, creating a 0.2 percent sales tax and allowing regular service to begin and expand the following year.[1]
The PTBA boundaries were expanded in 1998 to include Quincy, which had opted out of the 1996 vote, thus encompassing all of Grant County.[1] The Grant Transit Authority previously partnered with a local non-profit organization, People for People, for operations but became independent in October 2013.[1]
In 2015, construction began on a new transit center in downtown Moses Lake.[2] The transit center opened on August 1, 2017, with an indoor waiting area, a customer service desk, and several bays.[3] The Grant Transit Authority debuted inter-county commuter services during the same month, connecting Moses Lake to Ellensburg and Wenatchee on weekdays.[3][4] Several routes were consolidated in a major service change that took effect in April 2019.[5]
