If you occasionally – or like me, frequently – ride our free city buses, you’ll want to be aware that Intercity Transit is completing a bus system redesign, and many of its current routes will change on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Intercity Transit staff has been doing presentations to government and community organizations to get the word out to as many folks as possible. I heard their presentation twice – once at an Olympia City Council study session last December and earlier this month at the Council of Neighborhood Associations monthly meeting.
The presentation was brief and a pleasant change from perusing websites, so I didn’t mind hearing it more than once. If you’re interested in listening to it, the City Council presentation begins at about 1:50.
Intercity Transit says the new system will provide:
- Better access to area high schools, SPSCC, and other locations.
- Better access to the Capitol Campus.
- Faster travel times with better service along the high-frequency corridor.
Most routes will change
Routes 13, 21, 600 and 610 will continue; the other 25 routes will either be new or modified. The redesigned system will have 29 routes compared to the current 20, and will add over 130 new stops.
An interactive map gives a bird’s eye view of what the new system will look like. Below that are links to specific routes showing where they will travel beginning in May, and a handy table, listing discontinued route numbers and what they will change to.
Ways to prepare for the change
Intercity Transit staff know this change will take time to get used to, which is why they will have customer service staff, travel trainers and bus buddies available to provide any help folks might need to figure out the new routes. Customer service (360-786-1881) is available daily from 7 am to 6 pm.
They also have a handy trip planner on their website, where you can put in where you are traveling to and from, to find routes that can take you there.
I have an app on my phone called OneBusAway that I use to track buses when I’m out and about. After the presentation, I asked whether it will change, too, and was told that, yes – it (and any apps like it) will automatically switch over to the new routes on May 3rd.
South Capitol Neighborhood Association 