FRIDAY FIELD TRIPS WITH THE CHAMBER
Kitsap Transit: B.I. Ride
On a Friday each month, the Chamber team hits the road to visit one of our members. We take a peek behind the scenes and ask business leaders to discuss their experiences owning and operating a business on Bainbridge Island. These Friday Field Trips offer the opportunity to showcase the diversity of our business ecosystem while gathering data about how we can best support our members.
Last month’s Friday Field Trip took us on an adventure around the south end of Bainbridge Island with Kitsap Transit! Part of our job at our visitor center and information kiosk is to help people navigate Kitsap Transit’s Bus and B.I. Ride system. A large amount of tourists that visit the island come off the ferry on foot and want to explore all points of the island, from the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial to Bloedel Reserve. So, we decided it was time for a refresh on our public transit knowledge! The Chamber team along with fellow Chamber members documented step-by-step how to navigate B.I. Ride, so that we can help facilitate public transit navigation to our wonderful visitors.
We started at the Visitor Information Center and Chamber Office on Winslow Way. There, we downloaded Kitsap Transit’s Ride Pingo app. This app allows you to schedule a B.I. Ride to pick you up at your designated location and easily pay ahead of time. You can schedule your ride when you’re ready to travel, or you can schedule a pick up in advance when planning your trip to Bainbridge. When our bus arrived, we hopped on and set out on an adventure!
We rode B.I. Ride to our first stop at the Founder’s Pickleball Courts at Battle Point Park where we tried out scheduling a ride via phone call. We were welcomed with a real-person conversation with Kitsap Transit staff to help us schedule our ride to our next destination—lunch with a stunning view of the waterfront at the Harbour Public House in the Marina District! This time, when we hopped on our bus, we paid with an easy tap of our ORCA card (you can also use your credit/debit card) when boarding our bus. We had a fantastic time traveling around on Kitsap Transit!
BAINBRIDGE CHAMBER: What do you like most about operating a business on Bainbridge Island?
KITSAP TRANSIT: “We're grateful for the community support we've received for our mission of providing safe, reliable, and efficient transportation choices that enhance the quality of life in Kitsap County. We've been serving Bainbridge Island since residents voted in 1988 for annexation into Kitsap Transit's service area. We take pride in serving residents, commuters, and visitors alike on Bainbridge and doing our part to help the environment. We have 29 zero-emission battery-electric buses, with plans to order 10 more. In 2024, KT's new Silverdale Transit Center was the first in Western Washington with in-ground inductive charging for electric buses, allowing them to recharge en route and run longer trips. And KT's Bremerton and Poulsbo bus bases are certified to ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management systems.” - Sanjay Bhatt, Marketing & Public Information Director
BAINBRIDGE CHAMBER: What are the greatest challenges you face?
KITSAP TRANSIT: “One of the greatest challenges we face is recruiting and retaining enough bus drivers so we can continue to deliver quality public transportation service across Kitsap County. We hate to cancel trips, but we occasionally have to do so when we have a shortage of drivers on any given day. If you know someone looking for a career in public transportation, please share our Drive for Kitsap webpage. We offer incredible training, wages, benefits and more.” - Sanjay Bhatt, Marketing & Public Information Director
BAINBRIDGE CHAMBER: What would you like the community to know about Kitsap Transit?
KITSAP TRANSIT: “We offer so many mobility services on Bainbridge Island that are often underused: We operate 15 different bus services — 11 fixed routes, one Worker/Driver, two on-demand (BI Ride, Sunday On Demand), ACCESS paratransit — as well as 10 vanpools, VanLink, carshare (SCOOT), Guaranteed Ride Home, park & rides, and the Bike Barn at the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal. We also are always open to customer feedback and hearing how we can better tailor our services to community needs.” - Sanjay Bhatt, Marketing & Public Information Director
B.I. Ride Weekly Schedule
You can find more information about navigating B.I. Ride Below!
