Intercity Transit

Intercity Transit
Headquarters510 Pattison St. SE
Olympia, Washington
Service areaThurston County, Washington
Service typeBus, paratransit
Routes30
Stops1,031
Daily ridership
11,688
Annual ridership
4,242,904 (2024)
Fuel typeB20 Diesel (Biodiesel)
General Manager
Emily Bergkamp
Websitewww.intercitytransit.com

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.

History

Intercity Transit has been a sponsor of the Bicycle Community Challenge (BCC), also known as the Bicycle Commuter Contest, since the early 2000s. 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. The agency became the main host of the event in 2006.

In 2009, the American Public Transportation Association gave Intercity Transit the America's Best Public Transportation System award for the mid-size category.

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. Limited fixed route service resumed in June alongside the advance reservation system but ridership remained 70 percent below its 2019 levels. Intercounty service to Lakewood resumed in June 2021.

In FY 2024 the system had an annual ridership of 4,242,904, or about 11,688 daily boardings.[citation needed]

Routes and services

Intercity Transit operates 21 bus routes, 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. 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

Intercity Transit "Dash" Bus 951 running in the Lakefair parade

Intercity Transit operates 77 coaches, 33 Dial-A-Lift vans, and 221 vanpool vans. Intercity Transit purchased six new hybrid electric buses in 2010, 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. They are equipped with wheelchair accessibility, kneeling doors, automatic stop announcements, and surveillance cameras.[citation needed]

Fares

Intercity Transit began a five-year zero-fare pilot project in January 2020 as part of its service expansion approved in a 2018 ballot measure. The agency also launched a zero-fare express bus route connecting Capital Mall to Lacey in September 2019. The pilot was extended to 2028 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced the suspension of the express route and Dash.

References

  1. ↑ General Manager of Intercity Transit
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Coats, Breanne (June 23, 2007). "1,000 grab bikes for commute contest". The Olympian. NewsBank 119F3F4C927D5660. Retrieved April 30, 2026 – via NewsBank.
  5. ↑ "Bicycle Community Challenge - About". Intercity Transit. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ "APTA Award Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  7. ↑ Gentzler, Sara (April 7, 2020). "Intercity Transit to require reservations starting next week due to COVID-19". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  8. ↑ Boone, Rolf (June 18, 2020). "Limited fixed-route bus service returns on Sunday, Intercity Transit announces". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  9. ↑ Boone, Rolf (August 22, 2020). "Intercity Transit ridership plunges during pandemic, down nearly 70 percent in July". The Olympian. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Intercity Transit to Resume Express Bus Service to Pierce County" (Press release). Intercity Transit. June 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Routes". Intercity Transit. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ Dash Shuttle
  13. ↑ Meet the Fleet
  14. ↑ "Hybrid Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  15. ↑ "Fleet Composition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  16. ↑ Banse, Tom (January 2, 2020). "'Get on and go!' No bus fare needed anymore on Olympia transit system". KUOW. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  17. ↑ Sundell, Allison (December 5, 2019). "Thurston County buses to launch zero-fare pilot in January". KING 5 News. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  18. ↑ Spegman, Abby (September 11, 2019). "Coming soon: A bus ride across Olympia in 10 stops — for free". The Olympian. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  19. ↑ 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.