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Olympia WA -- Intercity Transit serves the urban areas of Thurston County, Washington, including the state’s capital city, Olympia. Located at the south end of Puget Sound, Olympia lies midway between two of America’s most livable cities: Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. The Thurston County community values sustainability and enjoys a high quality of life. Citizens and community leaders alike understand that public transportation plays a key part in attaining these values.
Intercity Transit’s vision to be a leading transit system in the country recognized for its well trained, highly motivated, customer-focused, community-minded employees committed to enhancing the quality of life for all citizens of Thurston County is fulfilled by providing quality transportation choices and mobility options for the community, advocating for transportation alternatives, and encouraging economic, environmental and community sustainability.
A fixed-route transit system - including express commuter service - continues to be Intercity Transit’s core operation, with ridership increasing more than 50 percent in the past three years to 4.3 million trips in 2008. Supplementing this is a vanpool program of over 190 vanpool groups providing 700,000 trips last year alone, and a popular regional rideshare program. Intercity Transit’s paratransit service, Dial-A-Lift, exceeds ADA requirements and provides door-to-door service for persons unable to use fixed-route transit. And a customized travel training program introduces new riders to bus travel with personalized one-on-one how-to-ride assistance.
Several smaller innovative programs also help address the diverse transportation needs of the community. This includes Community Vans, an advance-reservation transportation service using retired vanpool vans to support group travel for non-profit and public sector agencies at a low, per-mile charge; the Van Grant Program that awards retired vanpool vans to local nonprofit groups that commit to serving important and unmet transportation needs within the community; and Village Vans, a Job Access Reverse Commute Program operated with South Puget Sound Community College and 19 other community partners to provide fare-free transportation of low-income individuals in pursuing employment and skills training. Village Vans also provides job-training opportunities for its volunteer drivers, many of whom have used the opportunity to secure permanent employment.
One of the first transit systems in the nation to use biodiesel, Intercity Transit continues to engage in sustainable practices and has garnered local, state and national attention for these efforts. The agency also has signed the APTA sustainability commitment.
Intercity Transit’s philosophy is that the customer experience starts long before the customer boards an Intercity Transit vehicle. To that end, employee training and installation of a CAD/AVL system, digital video recording equipment, and more shelters and stop amenities - among other initiatives - ensure Intercity Transit consistently delivers reliable, efficient, friendly and safe transportation.
Intercity Transit will continue to meet its mission to provide and promote transportation choices that support an accessible, sustainable, livable and prosperous community. By doing so, Intercity Transit endeavors to make Thurston County, Washington, one of the best places to live, work and play in America.