Kitsap Transit Long-Range Transit Plan

The project received regional recognition of its success with a VISION 2050 Award by the Puget Sound Regional Council.

In early 2021, Kitsap Transit began the process of updating the agency’s Long-Range Transit Plan (LRTP). The LRTP, which was last updated in 2016, is a planning tool that guides Kitsap Transit as it makes service provision decisions over a 20-year timeframe. Since the last LRTP update, Kitsap County has grown significantly and seen shifts in population and employment centers—as well as shifts in transit demand and ridership since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nelson\Nygaard assisted Kitsap Transit with the LRTP update. Our team examined the performance of Kitsap Transit’s fixed-route, demand-response, and ferry services to determine key operational and fiscal issues facing the agency. Nelson\Nygaard performed a detailed market and transit demand analysis to identify where transit demand is highest, as well as areas of growth, and gaps in service. Additional work included the development and evaluation of financial scenarios, visioning, service planning concepts, and service standards aligned with the agency’s priorities for the future. Nelson\Nygaard also evaluated the possibility of replacing aging vehicles in the bus fleet with zero-emission vehicles.

The result of the plan was a set of actionable steps to position Kitsap Transit to be responsive and flexible to community needs as the region recovers economically from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. We also helped the agency establish longer-term direction for local and regional transit service in Kitsap County.