Friday, November 7, 2025
Intercity Transit officials are going to meet with local government agencies through November to discuss major service changes scheduled to take effect in May 2026.
The changes have to do with the third and final phase of its bus system redesign, which started in May 2025. This last phase deals with the most significant changes and results in the replacement of most existing local routes, as well as the introduction of Route 9X.
In a presentation to the Intercity Transit Authority on Wednesday, Oct. 1, Intercity Transit Planning Deputy Director Rob LaFontaine said staff are going to brief the Transportation Policy Board of the Thurston Regional Planning Council on Oct. 8.
That is going to be followed by meetings with the Lacey City Council on Oct. 28 and Tumwater City Council on Nov. 5. The meetings will give the public an opportunity to learn how the redesign is going to affect their communities.
According to a draft document summarizing the changes, Route 9X is an express route between Capital Mall in West Olympia and Hawks Prairier Park in East Lacey.
It would replace The One and Routes 62A and 62B, which all serve the same areas but follow different paths.
The new route is going to have fewer stops. And stops not served by the route will continue to be served by a new Route 50.
Buses on Route 9X are scheduled to run every 15 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on evenings and weekends.
The route also includes route connections along Harrison Avenue, State Avenue, 4th Avenue and Martin Way, which reduces the need for connections at transit centers.
The route marks a significant step toward establishing a bus rapid transit service. The document defines bus rapid transit as an enhanced bus service with features to shorten waiting times and avoid traffic congestion, while providing riders with a smoother and more convenient ride.
The redesign also introduces new road segments to be served by bus routes, redesigned connections to local schools and neighborhoods, as well as the discontinuation of several bus stops.
Before the changes are adopted, the plan must go through several public review stages. The public can comment on the changes through Nov. 14.
A public hearing has also been scheduled for Nov. 5, allowing residents to share feedback directly with the Intercity Transit Authority.
The agency’s Community Advisory Committee is going to consider whether to endorse the plan on Nov. 17, followed by a final vote by the Intercity Transit Authority on Dec. 3.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Snevets
Thank you. I wish we could all think about using public transit more and relying less on our cars.
Tuesday, October 7 Report this
Wesley
Can we get the busses off Capitol Way please? I live there and they're noisy and attract vagrants.
Thursday, October 9 Report this
OvercastDays
Wow, an interesting shift in the works for sure. After skimming the draft document, I’m at least partially convinced this would be an upgrade to the current system. Improved connections to other routes throughout the system, and newly added stops in many places sound like good things.
There are some drawbacks I can see; while I can’t pretend to know how the finer points of the transit system are handled, it looks to me like this would increase the level of complexity in operations quite significantly. Also, not to generalize, but some IT users might not be able to have the planning capabilities to navigate the increased complexity of the system, where just taking a bus from one of the transit centers might not work as well as it has in the past. This is definitely an upgrade in terms of the connection to high schools, but not by as much as I would hope given the near-total redesign. I guess there are school buses for that purpose, however.
The two-way bus loops sound kind of clunky, but operationally passable. And a lot better than only being able to go in one direction through a given area. My one problem is with the name for the express route. The One hasn’t seemed especially well used as a bus line, but it’s a good name for the lone express-type route in service. Route 9X sounds like something to avoid. Ultimately, the quality of transportation provided precedes the nomenclature, but 9X doesn’t feel like the best option marketing-wise.
Monday, October 13 Report this
GPodxt
I’ve always appreciated the Transit. And even more, that it doesn’t cost. However, the number of tax payers VS non tax payers is wild! More times than not, you’re riding with more homeless, drug dealing (on the bus) than NOT. Majority seem to not read either. No Food, Drink or loud music. Plenty of times, people are eating or drinking. And playing their atrocious “music.” Rarely is it addressed. I’d imagine that the drivers don’t wanna be threatened. Some are privy to the facts: there have been assaults on drivers, bomb threats and unruly types… that make employed individuals, late, other jobs. I’d NEVER allow my loved ones to ride… because I know what they’d be facing. Things have been going on for far too long. More money and “compassion” isn’t the answer. Time to toughen up, Thurston. People that have been born and raised here are sick of these individuals.
Tuesday, October 14 Report this