Evergreen late-night bus trips resume

By Christian Hill | The Olympian • Published September 20, 2008

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Intercity Transit and The Evergreen State College have resumed Nightline, a late-night bus service to and from the school.

The service will continue through the spring quarter next year. It follows the success of a pilot project between the transit agency and college during this year's spring quarter.

There were 3,400 boardings during the 10 weeks of the quarter, an average of 38 per hour, said Victor Sanders, the college's alternative-transportation coordinator.

"It was really successful, kind of more than both groups expected," said Sanders, a senior studying urban planning.

Intercity Transit and the college agreed to continue the service for fall, winter and spring quarters. The Intercity Transit Authority, the transit agency's governing board, voted to enter into a new contract with Evergreen.

The college will pay $13,509 for service during the fall quarter, using money from student transportation fees. Students are charged $16 per month, Sanders said, which allows them to use all Intercity Transit buses without paying a fare.

Nonstudents who use the late-night service must pay the regular fare of 75 cents. Intercity Transit has proposed increasing that fare Jan. 1 to cover higher fuel costs. The transit agency and college will negotiate the cost of the contract for winter and spring quarters, which could affect the fee that students pay.

Service extends by three round-trip runs three nights each week: from midnight to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to midnight Sundays.

Students returning to their dorms from downtown bars aren't the exclusive users of the service, Sanders said. Students use it to return from other locations downtown or on Olympia's west side. More students used the service during Spring Arts Walk than any other time during the quarter, he said.

Christian Hill is a reporter for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5427 or chill@theolympian.com.