Intercity Transit is embarking on a year-long process to update its bus system serving the Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm areas. This exciting endeavor is on the move once again after a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, to include new routes, zero-emission buses, new technology and more.
“We’ve spent the years since the pandemic building back our service levels. Now, it’s time to implement a lot of these things that we had envisioned prior to the pandemic,” says Chief Marketing and External Relations Officer Nick Demerice. “Now, we are rolling those things out. We are delivering on promises from 2018.”
He says those promises are supplying upgrades riders have identified as important through surveys, comments, focus groups and a successful ballot measure. “We heard they wanted more buses, more places and more often,” Demerice explains.
Intercity Transit is a Good Investment for the Community Today and Down the Road
Demerice says we are fortunate to live in a community that values high quality public transit. That public support is reflected in community investments like local sales tax funding voters approved overwhelmingly in Proposition 1 on the November 2018 ballot to maintain, improve and expand public transportation services, particularly after federal funds went away. Unfortunately, the pandemic affected riders and services just as implementation began in 2019-2020. Ridership changed dramatically at that time, especially with more people working remotely.
In rebounding and moving forward since then, Intercity Transit continues to see increased ridership as more individuals return to work, school and to their pre-pandemic levels of activity. Intercity Transit is thoughtfully building on what it heard from riders in 2016-2020, plus what riders say they want today and down the road. “It really took up to the last couple of years to come back from COVID,” says Demerice.
Intercity Transit learned that the community continues to have a significant demand for excellent transit services. “It’s a great moment now to implement some of the things we talked about with the community since 2018,” says Demerice.
Intercity Transit Centers its Customers in Everything it Does to Upgrade Transit System
The transit system’s planned upgrades are customer-centered. “We’ve developed this next version based on years of data and great feedback,” Demerice explains. “We received really robust feedback especially with customer comments and through social media.”
“We want to place resources where they can serve customers the best,” he adds.
For example, he says the community wants more frequent service that runs longer hours. Many commenters asked for better connections between high schools and the community, so students could get to before-school and after-school programs and jobs, and to South Puget Sound Community College’s Running Start classes. Customers described that shift workers need ways to get home or get groceries after work. And Intercity Transit wants to fill in gaps in areas where new homes are being built. The agency also plans to enhance trips north so riders can connect to Pierce Transit’s buses and Puget Sound Transit’s Sounder trains.
Demerice says the upgrades will roll out in phases. The first step, introduced in May, increased included operating buses more often on some routes and for a longer duration. New bus service coming in September 2025 will run to the Lakewood, Nisqually and Joint Base Lewis-McChord areas. Redesigns also include providing better connections so riders can hop on a route without first going to a transit center, expanding access to the Capitol Campus, adding bus stops, adjusting traffic signal prioritization technology so trips are speedier, bringing zero emission hydroelectric buses online, and more.
One popular feature that will continue until at least 2028 is the Zero-Fare demonstration program launched in 2020, in which passenger fares are not collected for bus and paratransit services. Demerice says they received tremendous positive feedback on this pilot program.
High Quality Bus Service is Crucial Ingredient to Successful Communities
Demerice says research shows that high quality transit services are crucial to successful communities. When people can easily get around, connections are built, and economies are strengthened.
Demerice says even community members who are not bus riders want to preserve strong transit services because it means fewer cars on the road, friends and neighbors can travel safely, and employees and coworkers can get to their jobs. “It’s really important for everyone,” he explains.
“We are dedicated to helping people get around in our community safely and efficiently,” Demerice adds.
To stay current on these transit developments underway, visit the new dedicated webpage. You can also sign up to receive transit updates. And for information on bus routes, Dial-A-Lift, vanpools, accessible services and more, visit the Intercity Transit website.
Intercity Transit
360.786.1881 (Customer Service)
Sponsored
