Thursday, October 1, 2026
Intercity Transit is purchasing replacement vehicles for a program that helps low-income residents reach job opportunities, and commute to work or school.
The Intercity Transit Authority authorized General Manager Emily Bergkamp to sign a $156,000 contract with Bud Clary Ford to purchase two replacement vans for the Village Van Program. The authority made the decision at a meeting on Feb. 4.
The program provides free transportation to help eligible residents gain and maintain employment or attend classes. Riders may use the service for up to one year to overcome barriers that make it difficult to rely on regular fixed route bus services.
Intercity Transit Procurement Coordinator Noelle Gordon said the new vans are goign to replace existing vehicles that have reached the end of their useful service life. Once the new vans arrive, the older vehicles will be declared surplus in accordance with state procedures.
The vehicle purchase is going to be made through a contract vetted by the Department of Enterprise Services. Gordon said staffers determined the contract to be fair and reasonable, adding the transit agency has purchased from the vendor before.
Residents interested in using the Village Van Program must complete an eligibility process. Questions about the program can be directed to 360-705-5840 or villagevans@intercitytransit.com.
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Chappellg
I love public service programs that help people get & keep employment. Decreases welfare payments & improves morale of low income folks who can then become productive, tax paying citizens.
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HappyOlympian
$78k per van. I call that a Bargain!
Friday, February 13 Report this
36098501
Compared to the recent purchase of $2mm buses, this does seem like a bargain.
I used Intercity Transit for many, many years. It is a vital component to our community and provides countless benefits.
What Intercity Transit has become is something that appears to have no financial constraints, or any focus on operational optimization. The amount of money spent per ride is so high as to be unbelievable by those outside government.
IT is also sitting on a cash balance of roughly $250mm. With inflation, that is losing roughly $10mm year in purchasing power alone.
Anecdotally, utilization looks weak. I might see 15 or 20 buses a day, and except for near the State Capital, there might be zero to 5 people on the bus. These buses are designed to sit 35 people and 60-70 if you include standees. The downtown transit center is never busy with people waiting for buses.
IT receives about $135mm in taxpayer funds each year – with no bus fares charged. I haven’t seen a utilization statistic (like rides/transit seats by route) demonstrating rider demand that is not being met, but IT keeps buying more buses and extending routes.
The last data I recall, a bus ride was roughly $15, so $30 round-trip. Dial-A-Ride was $130 a ride, or $230 round-trip. This was only based on operating expenses only and didn’t include the capital expenses that are spent each year which might add another $75mm to $100mm a year or nearly doubling those expense rates.
This doesn’t seem reasonable from a cost perspective. My concern is that Intercity Transit is struggling with the same issues that confront Olympia in general as the state’s capital – operating boards made up of state government employees with little business experience and a lack of expertise in running large complicated services with financial constraints.
It doesn’t seem like IT is being managed, just expanded to meet the amount of taxpayer revenue generated. With a $250mm cash balance, IT isn’t even able to spend taxpayer money fast enough.
Intercity Transit is a critical part of our community and we need to make sure it is being managed wisely and meeting the needs of the community while also being funded appropriately.
Sources:
https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/transit-agency-profiles/intercity-transit
https://www.intercitytransit.com/about-us/publications/financial-information
Friday, February 13 Report this