Intercity Transit unveils corridor-focused redesign, aims for 15-minute frequency on key Lacey routes

Intercity Transit outlined a multi‑phase redesign of bus service affecting Lacey and surrounding communities, saying it aims to boost frequency on core corridors, improve one‑seat rides and expand late‑night and neighborhood service.

“Imagine a better bus system,” Nick Demaris, chief communications and marketing officer for Intercity Transit, told the Lacey City Council work session on Oct. 28. Demaris said the redesign centers on investing in high‑demand corridors (for example the corridor between the Lacey Costco and the Capitol Mall) and using overlapping route schedules to produce 15‑minute frequency where demand is greatest.

The redesign builds on prior investments and a multi‑year program funded in part by Proposition 1. Intercity Transit staff said the proposal grew from public feedback that favored more and better service; the agency also extended a 0‑fare pilot through 2028 and argued that fare collection costs made some traditional fareboxes uneconomic. Staff showed maps and described an operational approach in which two routes overlap on a corridor so riders have a bus every 15 minutes…