Submitted by Intercity Transit
Intercity Transit will resume scheduled bus service beginning June 21, 2020. Local bus service will follow normal routes with reduced schedules. Temporary bus schedules, effective June 21, are available at the Intercity Transit website. Most local routes will run hourly between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. with a couple exceptions. Route 94, service to Yelm, will run approximately every 2.5 hours.
Intercity Transit will continue to provide Advanced Reservation Service for people needing transit outside of the reduced service hours. Those customers should call 360-786-1881 to see if Advanced Reservation Service can assist.
Community health and safety are agency’s top priorities
While the transit agency would prefer to return to pre-COVID-19 service levels now, the reduced service is what can be supported with available staffing levels, due primarily to COVID-19-related issues.
The One, DASH and Olympia Express service between Olympia and Pierce County will remain cancelled. Intercity Transit anticipates resuming scheduled express service to Pierce County when Thurston and Pierce counties meet all the requirements of Phase 3. This decision was made in consultation with Thurston County Public Health & Social Services
Passengers should be prepared to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth for their entire trip, use hand sanitizer frequently, and minimize their time on the bus as much as possible. These actions will help keep drivers healthy, allowing Intercity Transit to continue providing bus service and help prevent the spread of this highly-contagious virus.
When possible, passengers are encouraged to maintain physical distance from one another. This may not always be possible at transit stops or on vehicles, making wearing a face covering, using hand sanitizer and minimizing time spent on buses even more important.
Most passengers should plan to board through the rear doors, as Plexiglas screens for drivers have been installed at the front of buses; those with accessibility needs can board using the front doors. Signs have been added to every other row of seats to encourage physical distancing if possible. The Olympia Transit Center will remain closed and all scheduled trips will depart from on-street zones next to the transit center. A map of the temporary departure zones at the Olympia Transit Center and interim schedules can be viewed online.
