Intercity Transit makes good on its promise to implement modest service improvements next month, based on rider and community input over the past six months. The community conversation started before the August 2010 Primary, which resulted in the passage of a local sales tax increase to support operation of Intercity Transit service.  The conversation continued this past fall with public input before the transit Authority’s adoption of a service plan consistent with community's priorities. 

That service plan, a moderate 3.1-percent increase in overall operating hours for the Thurston County transit system, means an increase to evening and weekend service on some routes and a peak-hour increase to 15-minute frequency on one of the system’s most-used routes.  Overall, improvements will be made to eight of Intercity Transit’s 22 bus routes and implemented February 6. In transit terms, the changes total 6,208 additional hours of bus service on area roads annually. See the list of enhancements below.

New maps and schedules (scroll down to find the your route).

The Evergreen State College to Olympia Transit Center (Route 41): Service will increase to every 15 minutes during peak travel periods. (Service currently runs every 30 minutes.)

Tumwater Square, via South Puget Sound Community College, to Olympia Transit Center (Route 43):  New Saturday service will be added  resulting in new transit service to the Tumwater Hill area on Saturdays (currently route operates only weekdays).

Westfield Mall to Olympia Transit Center (Route 48):  This route will provide new service between Westfield Mall and The Evergreen State College in the evenings and on Saturdays. (This change replaces Route 49 Saturday service; Route 49 will continue to operate on Sundays.)

Hawks Prairie and East Lacey, via Martin Way and the Lacey Transit Center, to Olympia Transit Center (Route 62A and 62B):  A schedule adjustment to Saturday service will improve route reliability and on-time performance.

Lacey Transit Center to Olympia Transit Center, via Carpenter Road, Ruddell Road, Yelm Highway and Tumwater Square (Route 68):  Later weekday evening service plus new Sunday service will be added.

Yelm to Olympia Transit Center (Route 94):  Later weekday service will be added and routing will change slightly in Yelm to serve 103rd Avenue and the Yelm Adult Community Center.

Olympia/Lacey to Tacoma Mall (Route 620):  Four new trips north and southbound will be added for Sunday service to match the Saturday service frequency. This enables a total of nine northbound and nine southbound trips to operate on both Saturday and Sunday. The Olympia Tacoma Express service is coordinated jointly between Intercity Transit and Pierce Transit, but only Intercity Transit provides service on weekends.

Other minor service adjustments:
As adjustments are made to Intercity Transit’s service, the agency also continues to move forward on several capital projects to enhance and expand the public transportation infrastructure within the fast-growing region of north Thurston County. Projects include increasing the capacity of the Olympia Transit Center, Intercity Transit’s primary operating hub, to accommodate more bus activity, and completing a long awaited park and ride lot off I-5 at Hawks Prairie.  “These projects will undoubtedly benefit not only current transit users, carpoolers and vanpoolers, but the larger community for years to come,” stated Mike Harbour, Intercity Transit General Manager.  “These projects also bring federal and State funds to our community and provide much needed construction jobs and local tax revenue.” 

For Intercity Transit information, visit www.intercitytransit.com or call 360.786.1881 (outside Thurston County 1.800.287.6348).