Frequency, new routes, service upgrades in Long-Range Transit Plan

The Kitsap Transit fast ferry Enetai approaching Seattle (Erik Holsather/Sky Solutions NW)

Proposed investments in transit, ferry service expansion require additional funds

Upgrading bus service to 30-minute frequencies, adding new bus service and giving buses priority on congested corridors are among dozens of proposed improvements in Kitsap Transit’s draft Long-Range Transit Plan being published today.

The draft plan, which envisions a menu of service improvements and capital investments phased in through 2042, was developed over the past 18 months by consultant Nelson\Nygaard and Kitsap Transit staff and incorporated feedback from thousands of residents captured in two communitywide surveys. The plan will be presented to the Kitsap Transit Board for review in November and brought back to the Board for adoption in January.

The improvements require additional funds. The current transit sales tax in Kitsap County is 1.1%, which consists of 0.8% for bus and demand-response transit and 0.3% for ferry transit. In the second survey, 46% of respondents said they would support an increase in the transit sales tax if it produced a higher level of service. Among those in favor of or unsure about a sales-tax increase, 47% said they would pay an additional 0.3% transit sales tax.

The plan and appendix can be accessed on Kitsap Transit’s website by going to kitsaptransit.com/planning and clicking on the link under Long-Range Transit Plan.