The Thurston County Bus Buddy Program

The Thurston County Bus Buddy Program is part of Catholic Community Services, funded by a grant from the Department of Transportation while working closely with the folks at Intercity Transit.

Everyone is eligible to work with a bus buddy, although we tend to help seniors who can no longer drive, new people who just moved into Thurston County, younger folks living in group-type homes whose counselors feel
that are ready to take the bus on their own, and people living with disabilities.

A Bus Buddy is a travel companion who provides personalized support, teaching customers how to ride the bus safely, get to new destinations, transfer to other buses, and connect with regional transit services right out
of the Olympia Transit Center in downtown Olympia. The program is free, and so are the bus fares within Thurston County.

We have nine volunteers ready to help. We ask for 72 hours’ notice for trips within the county and 3-5 days for out-of-county trips. The program also offers one-day trips to places like Port Townsend, the Tacoma
museums, antique shopping in Centralia and Shelton, the Mermaid Museum in Aberdeen, and many other locations. Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll discuss the details. We’ll even ride with you on the
bus to SeaTac, avoiding all the driving and parking hassles.

For more information about booking a buddy, call our coordinator at 360- 688-8832 or email him at scottsc@ccsww.org.