SOURCEBOOK
COMMUTE BY BIKE Commuting by bike is a great option for people who live up to 10 miles from work. Intercity Transit encourages bicycle commuting each spring with its annual bicycling commuting contest. IT buses also are equipped with bike racks for bicyclists who wish to ride a bus for part of the way.
CARPOOL, VANPOOL IT also offers Dial-A-Lift paratransit service for people with disabilities that cannot use regular bus service, vanpools for long-distance travelers commuting to and from work, and carpool ridematching. IT coordinates 192 vanpools serving more than 1,500 commuters traveling daily. Vanpools can carry eight to 12 riders. IT’s vanpool program is one of the oldest and largest vanpool programs in Washington State. As of this printing, about 215 long-distance commuter vanpools were on area roadways each day (the size of the vanpool fleet is about double the size of the bus fleet). IT is also part of an eight county, regional ride match program that connects long-distance commuters with carpool partners. IT has four retired vanpool vans available to qualified human service organizations on a reservation basis for transport workers, volunteers and clients. IT offers a free defensive driving course to participants. A permile rate is charged to cover costs. IT’s service area for bus and Dial-A-Lift paratransit service is roughly the urban growth boundaries of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and Yelm, plus portions of unincorporated Thurston County.
PARK & RIDE Park and Ride lots are free to the public at the following locations for Intercity Transit customers: The Martin Way Park and Ride in Lacey at exit 109 off of Interstate 5. The Centennial Station Park and Ride, at the Amtrak station at 6600 Yelm Highway SE. The Grand Mound Park and Ride off of I-5 at state Route 12. At Summit Lake Road at state Route 8 The Mud Bay Lot at Madrona Beach Road. Also, in the fall of 2012, IT
will open a new Park and Ride Facility at Hawks Prairie at the Marvin Road exit 111 off of I-5.
TRAVELING BY RAIL Travelers can catch the Sounder Commuter Rail to Seattle at Sound Transit’s Tacoma Dome station. Closer to home, trains to Portland and Seattle are available at the Olympia/ Lacey Amtrak Station, located at 6600 Yelm Highway in Lacey.
OTHER RESOURCES IT offers customized trip planning either through Intercity Transit’s customer service staff or via the online trip planner at www.intercitytransit.com IT’s customer service center can be reached at 360-786-1881 or 1-800-287-6348, or at customer service@intercitytransit.com IT’s e-mail is tellus@intercitytransit.com IT’s web site is www. intercitytransit.com IT’s administrative offices can be reached at 360-786-8585. One-Bus-Away real time transit tracking information is accessible by smart phone, web or telephone to confirm bus arrival by route at any of the system’s 900-plus bus stops. For van and carpool matches go to: rideshareonline.com For Olympia-area traffic conditions, go to: www.wsdot. wa.gov/traffic/Olympia. Sound Transit: soundtransit.org.
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IT saw record use of its services in 2011. And in 2011, Intercity Transit’s fixed route bus service provided 4.5 million rides. IT has bus routes all over Thurston County - from The Evergreen State College on the west side and northeast to Tacoma. Routes run north to 26th Avenue and Group Health and south to Israel Road and Tumwater Boulevard. Buses run every 15 minutes from Martin Way, through downtown Olympia and into west Olympia; to Tumwater and the Thurston County Courthouse. A total of 24 routes operate, providing over 15,000 passenger trips each day and about 4.5 million trips each year. Transit service operates 5:45 to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays, 8:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays and most holidays. IT also offers a free one-onone travel training for people new to using transit. Regional options offered by IT allow bus riders to connect with public transportation in other counties. IT connects with Sound Transit and Sounder Rail service, Pierce Transit, Mason Transit, Grays Harbor Transit, Rural and Tribal Transportation (south Thurston and Lewis counties), and Amtrak at Centennial Station (on Yelm Highway). Popular longdistance transit travel destinations include SeaTac Airport, sports stadiums (downtown Seattle), downtown Tacoma and downtown Seattle. For fun places to go on the bus: go to intercitytransit.com/newandinfo/funplaces/Pages/default.aspx.