Intercity Transit is a public transportation agency organized as a municipal corporation in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It serves Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Yelm with services to Lakewood.
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| Headquarters | 510 Pattison St. SE Olympia, Washington |
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| Service area | Thurston County, Washington |
| Service type | Bus, paratransit |
| Routes | 21 |
| Daily ridership | 11,688 |
| Annual ridership | 4,242,904 (2024) |
| Fuel type | B20 Diesel (Biodiesel) |
| General Manager | Emily Bergkamp[1] |
| Website | www |
History
editIntercity Transit has been a sponsor of the Bicycle Community Challenge (BCC), also known as the Bicycle Commuter Contest, since the early 2000s.[2] The BCC is held during the month of May and is a free, Thurston County program meant to motivate residents to use bicycles as a main mode of transportation.[3] The agency became the main host of the event in 2006.[4][5]
In 2009, the American Public Transportation Association gave Intercity Transit the America's Best Public Transportation System award for the mid-size category.[6]
All of Intercity Transit's fixed route services were suspended on April 13, 2020, and replaced temporarily by an on-demand system with advance reservations limited to only passengers with "essential business" as part of the local response to the Covid-19 pandemic.[7] Limited fixed route service resumed in June alongside the advance reservation system but ridership remained 70 percent below its 2019 levels.[8][9] Intercounty service to Lakewood resumed in June 2021.[10]
In FY 2024 the system had an annual ridership of 4,242,904, or about 11,688 daily boardings.[citation needed]
Routes and services
editIntercity Transit operates 21 bus routes,[11] the Dial-A-Lift door-to-door service, a vanpool program, and specialized van programs. The service area encompasses approximately 94 square miles (240 km2).[citation needed]
Intercity Transit previously maintained a free shuttle route called Dash, which provided service between the Capitol Campus and downtown Olympia via Capitol Way.[12] Dash ran every fifteen minutes on weekdays, every ten minutes on weekends, and was close to several public parking lots. This service was retired during the COVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]
Fleet
edit
Intercity Transit operates 77 coaches, 33 Dial-A-Lift vans, and 221 vanpool vans.[13] Intercity Transit purchased six new hybrid electric buses in 2010,[14] and nine new hybrid electric buses in 2014. Intercity Transit is one of the first transportation systems in the country to use an all-biodiesel fleet.[citation needed]
All of Intercity Transit's coaches are Gillig Low Floor buses.[15] They are equipped with wheelchair accessibility, kneeling doors, automatic stop announcements, and surveillance cameras.[citation needed]
Fares
editIntercity Transit began a five-year zero-fare pilot project in January 2020 as part of its service expansion approved in a 2018 ballot measure.[16][17] The agency also launched a zero-fare express bus route connecting Capital Mall to Lacey in September 2019.[18] The pilot was extended to 2028 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced the suspension of the express route and Dash.[19]
References
edit- ↑ General Manager of Intercity Transit
- ↑ Dodge, John (April 29, 2003). "Commuters pedal with mettle to log miles in annual contest". The Olympian. p. B1. NewsBank 0FAC4E3F4704E0A3. Retrieved April 30, 2026 – via NewsBank.
- ↑ The Chronicle staff (April 22, 2026). "Cyclists preparing for 39th annual Intercity Transit Bicycle Community Challenge in Thurston County". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ Coats, Breanne (June 23, 2007). "1,000 grab bikes for commute contest". The Olympian. NewsBank 119F3F4C927D5660. Retrieved April 30, 2026 – via NewsBank.
- ↑ "Bicycle Community Challenge - About". Intercity Transit. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "APTA Award Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
- ↑ Gentzler, Sara (April 7, 2020). "Intercity Transit to require reservations starting next week due to COVID-19". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ Boone, Rolf (June 18, 2020). "Limited fixed-route bus service returns on Sunday, Intercity Transit announces". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ Boone, Rolf (August 22, 2020). "Intercity Transit ridership plunges during pandemic, down nearly 70 percent in July". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Intercity Transit to Resume Express Bus Service to Pierce County" (Press release). Intercity Transit. June 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ "Routes". Intercity Transit. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ Dash Shuttle
- ↑ Meet the Fleet
- ↑ "Hybrid Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
- ↑ "Fleet Composition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
- ↑ Banse, Tom (January 2, 2020). "'Get on and go!' No bus fare needed anymore on Olympia transit system". KUOW. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ↑ Sundell, Allison (December 5, 2019). "Thurston County buses to launch zero-fare pilot in January". KING 5 News. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ↑ Spegman, Abby (September 11, 2019). "Coming soon: A bus ride across Olympia in 10 stops — for free". The Olympian. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ↑ Tu, Maylin (September 21, 2022). "As Fare-Free Transit Catches On, Checking In On 5 Cities With Free Public Transit". NextCity. Retrieved October 12, 2022.