Intercity Transit

Intercity Transit
Headquarters526 Pattison St. SE
Olympia, Washington
Service areaThurston County, Washington
Service typeBus, paratransit
Routes21[1]
Daily ridership4,100 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[2]
Annual ridership3,955,100 (2023)[3]
Fuel typeB20 Diesel (Biodiesel)
General ManagerEmily Bergkamp[4]
Websitewww.intercitytransit.com
Intercity Transit "Dash" Bus 951 running in the Lakefair parade

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 and Lakewood: an area of approximately 94 square miles (240 km2). It operates 19 bus routes,[5] the Dial-A-Lift door-to-door service, a vanpool program, and specialized van programs.

In 2023, the system had a ridership of 3,955,100, or about 4,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.[2][3]

Intercity Transit previously maintained a free shuttle route called Dash, which provided service between the Capitol Campus and downtown Olympia via Capitol Way.[6] Dash ran every fifteen minutes on weekdays, every ten minutes on weekends, and was close to several public parking lots. However, this service was retired during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2009, the American Public Transportation Association gave Intercity Transit the America's Best Public Transportation System award for the mid-size category.[7]

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.[8][9] The agency also launched a zero-fare express bus route connecting Capital Mall to Lacey in September 2019.[10] The pilot was extended to 2028 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which also forced the suspension of the express route and Dash.[11]

Fleet

Intercity Transit operates 77 coaches, 33 Dial-A-Lift vans, and 221 vanpool vans.[12] Intercity Transit purchased six new hybrid electric buses in 2010,[13] 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.

All of Intercity Transit's coaches are Gillig Low Floor buses.[14] They are equipped with wheelchair accessibility, kneeling doors, automatic stop announcements, and surveillance cameras.

References

  1. ^ Routes
  2. ^ a b "Transit Ridership Report Third Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. ^ General Manager of Intercity Transit
  5. ^ "Routes". Intercity Transit. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  6. ^ Dash Shuttle
  7. ^ "APTA Award Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  8. ^ Banse, Tom (January 2, 2020). "'Get on and go!' No bus fare needed anymore on Olympia transit system". KUOW. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Sundell, Allison (December 5, 2019). "Thurston County buses to launch zero-fare pilot in January". KING 5 News. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Spegman, Abby (September 11, 2019). "Coming soon: A bus ride across Olympia in 10 stops — for free". The Olympian. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Meet the Fleet
  13. ^ "Hybrid Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  14. ^ "Fleet Composition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-12-12.