Over the past decade, Intercity Transit has worked on completely redesigning its bus network in Thurston County (Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Yelm). Between 2016-2018, the agency solicited feedback on the priorities for future transit and received over 10,000 ideas from the public. Using these data, Intercity Transit devised three future scenarios and asked the public which path they prefer.
- Service Reductions
- Status Quo System
- Transformational System
Unsurprisingly, the transformational system was supported by 83% of survey respondents. The community preferred a redesigned system with:
- Earlier and later service on high capacity (arterial) roads and moderate capacity (collector) streets
- Service to new areas
- High-frequency corridor service similar to bus rapid transit (BRT)
- Enhanced commuter services
To help fund the redesigned network, voters approved Intercity Transit Proposition 1 in November 2018. The ballot measure also provided funding for a five-year zero-fare demonstration project. This went into effect on January 1, 2020, and was extended by three years due to the pandemic (until 2028).
Intercity Transit observed a change in ridership patterns after the pandemic. Transit ridership shifted from morning and afternoon peaks to more even ridership throughout the day. This dramatic shift paused the system redesign work and more community feedback was collected on post-pandemic travel behavior. The agency adjusted the redesigned bus network based on this feedback and the new network will launch on May 3, 2026. Key changes and unique components of the new system are discussed below.
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