Intercity Transit mulls one seat, direct bus rides to Tumwater schools by September 

Aside from additional bus stops, the community can expect more frequent, direct and one-seat bus rides to and from the Tumwater School District (TSD) in September.

Thurston County public transportation provider Intercity Transit (IT) representatives met with the TSD School Board at a regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27, to share its bus system redesign proposals.

Intercity Transit Deputy Director of Planning Rob LaFontaine presented the redesign proposal, which is intended to ease transportation for students and families.

“One of the points of emphasis as we look to redesign transit service in the community is to find small adjustments to the service that are meaningful to students and families,” LaFontaine said.

The adjustments would be seen in routes, staff locations and schedules for easier transfer from program to program.

Investing in the corridor

LaFontaine said the transit agency plans to make buses have faster travel times with better service along busy corridors.

In September, Intercity Transit plans to “invest in the corridor,” which would cut the travel times between Olympia and Lacey transit areas to 15 minutes.

The corridor references city areas with low-density residential housing and strip commercial shopping, which are served by frequent transit service.

Examples of major corridors are East 4th Avenue, Harrison Avenue and Capitol Way in Olympia.

“Getting from one side of I-5 (Interstate 5) to the other on an Intercity Transit bus can be a little clumsy, so we’re looking to remedy that, that a trip from the west side of Tumwater to the east side can be done without a transfer,” LaFontaine said.

One-seat bus rides, new bus stops

One-seat rides are also being looked at, as it will prioritize connectivity between area high schools, South Puget Sound Community College, Capitol Campus and neighborhoods.

The one-seat rides were catered to benefit students attending early-morning classes, after-school sports and activities, and TSD’s Running Start.

Marketing, Communications & Outreach Officer Nick Demerice said there are “missing links” in the transit agency's service delivery. 

The uncovered areas will be serviced by new bus stops and expanded express services in growing community areas.

Road network, bus services

Several community members have also reached out to request a better transit service around the Black Hills High School (BHHS) service area, LaFontaine mentioned.

LaFontaine explained that the absence of consistent transit to BHHS is because of the road network issues.

“The challenge that we have been facing as a public transit agency is just the road network. We are only as good as the road network, and in this portion of Tumwater, the absence of the road network works against us,” LaFontaine said.

With the announcement of the development of a new Tumwater Costco, developments within the BHHS road network are expected to be followed by more transit services.

Demerice said another issue in the BHHS area is the difficulty of turning buses around, as bus mobility is limited due to a lack of safe, convenient turnaround spaces.

Origins

Demerice said the transit agency has implemented zero-fare rides since 2020, although there were some difficulties of free services as it experienced “pretty significant budget cuts” in 2016.

“Intercity Transit has the pleasure of being your local bus service here in Thurston County. As you probably know, we are still a zero-fare system,” Demerice said.

“The organization went out and conducted a road trip throughout the community and talked to the community about what kind of bus system do we want in our community to be able to serve as those who need it, and overwhelmingly, the community asked for a transformational bus system,” Demerice said.

The transformational system, Demerice explained, meant longer bus service, more places and better frequency.

The community’s request led to the proposal and approval of Proposition 1, which is an additional sales tax for the transit agency to be able to provide better transportation services throughout Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Yelm.

Proposition 1 was passed in the November 2018, which increased sales and use tax by four-tenths of 1 percent (0.4%), or 4 cents on a $10 taxable purchase.

Future initiatives

The transit agency's presentation showed a brief timeline on “Reviewing a Better Bus System,” wherein the implementation was initially scheduled for Sept. 7, 2025.

January to March was the proposed release of the Major Change Summary and Draft Equity Analysis, followed by several opportunities for public engagement.

Following the public input would be a Community Advisory Committee's review of the Summary and Draft Equity Analysis in March, to be followed by its adoption in April.

Around April to August, the transit agency will assemble route and operator schedules, and organize additional bus stops.

However, Demerice sent an email to The JOLT News on March 5 that the uncertainty of funding at the state and federal levels will likely result in the new service change being implemented in three segments over the next year, with most of the changes happening in May 2026 rather than September 2025.

The staggered implementation will ensure a clearer view of grants and other funding, while having enough time to have a smooth implementation and transition for riders, wrote Demerice.

“We are very excited about bringing new and improved service to our community in the near future,” said Demerice. “We will release a new implementation timeline in the near future.”

Editor's note:  This story has been revised to reflect an update in the "Future initiatives" section.