Kitsap Transit is the public bus company for Kitsap County. They have a number of routed buses, as well as an on-demand shared ride service in which you can request a ride and be dropped almost anywhere within the service map. My primary use of Kitsap Transit is to travel from Bainbridge Island to Poulsbo. The bus schedule for this route is limited as it only runs once a hour. It does not take in consideration the ferry schedule to Bainbridge Island. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way as I missed my connecting bus to Poulsbo due to the delay and had to wait another hour for the next one. In returning to Bainbridge Island, I did also have to take into consideration of the hourly service schedule. So if you are a tourist traveling from Seattle and checking out Kitsap County using Kitsap Transit and the ferry, you will need to have a strong sense of time management. Also, another negative with Kitsap Transit is they don't have bus service on Sundays. Though that is changing as the Bainbridge Island to Poulsbo route will offer Sunday service soon. While I wish Kitsap County would have better public bus service, I think this is the best that can be expected given the relatively low ridership compared to King County. read more

See all

I agree with bunch of shipyard workers who takes bus to ferry. those bus drivers have no sense of on-time. My wife missed bus and had to walked so many time from ferry because damn bus driver took off before ferry dock to port orchard ferry. Moreover, morning are scary as well because we do not know if bus will show up or not. it is a game here with kitsap transit. it is so unreliable. My wife just missed a ferry again this morning because of new driver lost his route; driving around a circle of Kitsap County Givens Community & Senior Center. My wife had to use leave because of unreliable kitsap transit read more

Understanding time restrictions or restraints is important. I caught a bus in hopes to catch the ferry so I'm not late to work for the game. And here we are again a bus driver sitting at a stop longer than needed for absolutely no reason . In turn I miss the ferry by a mere 2 minutes after getting a ride to the bus stop. Think about the people that are on the bus instead of yourself. read more

When one of my cats has an orgasm, a gooey liquid emerges which we call Kit Sap. This has nothing to do with that. I hope. Kitsap County is absolutely beautiful, but not somewhere you ever want to use public transportation unless you're talking about the incredible ferries across the lake to Seattle. The buses are super cute and nice and don't feature any real issues or problems, nor a lot of people using them to be honest, but it's cool that they service all these little island communities and access all the parts of Bremerton and Port Orchard and what not with these gorgeous buses. My ex lives here, and I used to use the bus regularly when coming to surprise her. The ferries are the main highlight of the transit system though and they're not too expensive, and definitely keep the community in touch with Seattle, rather than having to drive all the way around the Puget. With 4 million or so passengers a year it's definitely pretty awesome for the county. It's mainly out of Bremerton but can connect to all the other cities in this part of the world. One of my favourite parts of the world for that matter. read more

i rode on their private service for disabilit s the disabled they arrived thirty minutes before their scheduled time and i called to find out what time the bus was coming to pick me up and said i was going to get out early so they sent a bus uninitiate immediately without informing me and i waited and for an hour till i sat on hold for ten minutes and they said it assis already showed up read more

Kitsap transit bus # 333 was always delayed.. ive been waiting always for more than 40-50mins! Bad experience

The absolute worst disservice ever. I've had better service in South America where the roads are mud. These drivers leave stops early on a regular basis are horribly late, or pretend they didn't see you and drive right by the stop. I cannot say enough bad things about this 3 ring circus. read more

Kitsap transit needs to have more communication with busses. There should be back up busses if one breaks down and KT employees should make that obvious to riders. Foot ferry deckhands should also be more respectful to the riders at times. There are a couple of deckhands that do their job amazing and are friendly as well. read more

Friendly drivers, on time, new routes, all good. I used to use routed busses all the time. These days I must use access bus for all travel. Access service read more

I'm speaking about KT service as I experience it and the customer service I regularly receive. I do NOT like how bus service now caters to Seattle commuters (WA State Ferry or "Fast Boat") riders, reducing or changing locals routes to make it easier for them and more difficult for local transit, but the problem here is only due to the HUGE number of new people moving over here from the other side. If you actually want to make a difference in how our transit is run, how schedules are problematic, lacking or difficult, then become involved. Share your woes in writing to Kitsap Transit, give them feedback (not on Yelp, but with KT). They won't know this stuff unless you communicate with them. I have had nothing but excellent customer service and have been riding standard transit and using the foot ferry for many years. I have found nearly every driver to be patient, friendly, helpful and understanding, plus, most of the drivers I know live here in Kitsap or on the peninsula in adjoining counties. So far as complaints of druggies and drunks riding the bus (as another reviewer stated), maybe you would prefer them to be driving instead? Also, as for "drunks", you may not realize there are many in the bus riding population who are disabled or have serious health problems drunk are sometimes actually people with mobility related illnesses or disease. Sometimes there are riders with mental health problems that are upsetting to others. Hello - it is public transit, people. It is unfair to blame drivers or the system for your lack of participation in local government services. These folks are top notch and I can count on one hand the number of unpleasant experiences I've had since 1991. Keep up the good work folks at KT. I closing, we all know that sadly, due to the HUGE influx of new residents, we are now suffering in the way transit service operates. I made sure to let them know my concerns regarding schedules and service. Be involved, get informed and share your grief with them. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get results you are hoping for. read more

So I've been riding kitsap transit for years and have always had a number of issues, from busses running early, making you miss them, to running 30+ minutes late while you bake in the sun, to hostile drivers. But today took the cake. As a college student, they were giving away monthly bus passes at school. Problem is, if your pass ends up at the bottom of a lake, along with your credit cards and ID, they have no means of replacing it, even after you call them and they explicitly tell you that they can replace it with a 5 dollar replacement fee, and you walk an hour out of your way (that's one way) to their transportation center because you have no cash on hand or an orca card to take the bus. Their website also says the same information in the event that you lose your card. Pay 5 dollars for a new card, and they will cancel your old one and issue a new one with the same passes and e-purse value loaded onto it. I really needed that pass considering I have no other means of transportation. (I have no depth perception, making it difficult to handle 2 feet, let alone 4 wheels.) And as a full time student with a full course load, I currently have no income to speak of. (Hard to apply for a reduced fare orca card when you have no proof that you have no income.) What was even the point of taking my information when giving me the card if theres no infrastructure in place to trace the card back to me? The lady who denied me the card said they have no way to issue another card because their finance team wouldn't let them, because they had run out of promotional passes... But if the card has a full card number, and should be registered to me somewhere, because they take your name, address, phone number, and student I'd number when handing the cards out, then there should be a way to cancel the old pass and issue a new one. That shouldn't throw off the balance of promotional passes given out. This seems like something that should just be common sense. Normal customer service, and according to their website, standard practice. But no. Common sense and customer service have never been their speciality. read more

Specifically Kingston access transit. That is now playing school bus for kingston public schools so good luck getting a ride in the morning. I work in Kingston and live in Seattle. I used to park in Edmonds and ride the ferry over then catch the access to work.(since there is absolutely no bus service anywhere near my work.) now it doesn't matter how far ahead you try to schedule, you can not get a ride in the mornings. Due to extraordinarily high ferry fare, to take a vehicle across 2x a day is untenable on what I make. So it has become either I quit my job or move over to Kingston (I can barely afford to live in Seattle at all let alone a major move to an area that has now priced it self in line with or higher than Seattle) or I walk 4+ miles one way on roads with no sidewalks and sometimes nonexistent shoulders with traffic moving at 40-60 mph.(going into winter means in the dark both ways) thanks kitsap transit and city of Kingston, because you don't have your s#*% together you have... the words extremely inconvenienced me don't even come close. And I'm just one person of many who used to rely on your service. How about use your tax dollars appropriately and get a couple of school busses and or another access bus or two? Or do the lower economic class (I used to be middle class but that's a whole different rant) and disabled citizens mean nothing to you? Do better. read more

they need to work on the timing for the bus systems and the orca card system sucks . I have money in my pass I saw my father putting money on it and you guys claim I don't. read more

Me and Kitsap Transit go back a long ways. I have probably spent a good chunk of my life stuck in traffic aboard the #90. The buses are pretty nice and clean - they have comfy cloth seats (I guess they don't need upholstery that you can hose off like the big city transit systems do.) The buses leaving the ferry wait for it to arrive unless it's way off schedule. They're dependable - there have been several snow days when I have foolishly gone into work and come home to a blizzard, and Kitsap Transit got me home safely (plus I got to laugh as we passed by all the BMWs stuck in the ditches along highway 305). Ok, maybe some of the drivers are a little nutters - I've seen more road rage incidents on the part of Kitsap Transit drivers than I'm comfortable with. And truthfully, KT isn't really good for anything other than getting to and from the ferry terminals or the mall. But for a semi-rural, mainly commuter transit service, they aren't bad at all. read more

I take the bus to and from the ferry on a daily basis, and have never had any significant issues, except on snow days (and I guess the universe is trying to tell me something on those days, like "STAY HOME, DUMMY!") I especially like that the Take Home service drops me off (basically) at my doorstep and that almost every driver is professional, friendly and genuine. I do not like that service on Saturdays is drastically reduced and completely eliminated on Sunday. Even though I don't need to use this service on the weekend, it's a bit disconcerting that I couldn't if I needed to. read more

Ferries refuse to make connections, leave late, and never are accountable for their lateness. I have personally reached out to KT several times regarding the constant tardiness of their fast ferries and have gotten no replies or acceptance of responsibility. The connecting ferries and buses wait all the can, but the Fast Ferry refuses to ensure their passengers/customers further needs are met. read more

I stopped driving altogether more than a year ago and rely completely on public transportation now. Kitsap Transit is a decent service for a community of this size and I've found my daily commute to be pretty painless. The buses are clean and seem to be well maintained. The drivers are generally friendly (with a few notable exceptions). Where Kitsap Transit fails to deliver however is just about anytime you want to use it for anything other than going to and from work (day shift only). If you want to go anywhere in the evenings, Sundays, and holidays you're out of luck. Additionally, some areas (like mine) have no Saturday service at all. I also want to echo what others have said about Kitsap Transit's utterly ridiculous policy of refusing to accept their own transfers except at designated (and often inconvenient) transfer points. The fact that this is not an issue for ORCA card users (who may transfer anywhere for no additional charge) just makes it even more annoying. I too have been riding public transit all my life and I've never encountered this silly rule anywhere else. All things considered, Kitsap Transit gets a passing grade. Let's hope things improve going forward though. read more

Busses on unpredictable schedules can leave one stranded at a bus stop an awfully long time, then they're slow to get you anywhere. If you're trying to get home on a Sunday, you'll have to risk death by hitch hiking. Now that I'd qualify, I'm glad to know about the Access system, but have been so freaked out by the regular service I haven't yet had the nerve to figure out how to use Access. As it stands the bus is so wearying and an all-day panic that I end up using the car or more likely just staying house-bound. It's something I miss about leaving the big city, where I just had to go outside to a bus shed and one would be by in no time. Here in Bremerton, if you don't research whether or not a route is detoured or canceled you can end up a very sad person standing helplessly in the rain. read more

Fast ferry service is great! And buses are scheduled to coincide with the ferry times. A few hiccups, but that is to be expected with a brand new service, and it is getting better on a quarterly basis. read more

This organization is so poorly run. I have lived on Bainbridge Island for 2 years and consistently have issues with their service. Today was the topper. Took a mid day ferry and the 390 bus took off literally as we were walking up to board. We were not nearly the last ones off the ferry but it couldn't wait a few min to make sure no ferry rider needed a ride? What is the point of a schedule or parking at the ferry terminal if you don't bother to wait for the passengers to get off? So. Instead we waited another 1/2 hour in the rain. read more

It's been long understood that Kitsap Transit is not rider friendly along with they are getting worse and worse. Departments are not communicating with each other and Lesssons are not being learned from better transits even the #2 route newly created to serve Fast Ferry doesn't work. If you put in a reservation for fast ferry now Kitsap Transit doesn't care if you can use it at all. The result being that a non reservation can be allowed on while someone that reserved that ride does not or misses that boat entirely and waits a hour for Washington state ferry what it also means if you want to ride with the person you also reserved with that at times cannot happen because it means asking the deckhands to move people around. Even a child can't sit with their parent as I witnessed and that means you cannot enjoy the ride together. What it also means the child can't be under proper supervision esp if the child needs their parent during a hard moment that shouldn't need to be shared with deckhand. There have been times where the boat is leaving by the time your sprinting up to the boat. They insist the bus has to run behind due to running to Poulsbo causing Bremerton and Silverdale much aggravation that may need to ride due to Poulsbo distance is the same from Bremerton as it is from bainbridge island yet the frequency of Washington state ferry makes it to where they can expect a ride guaranteed every 30 mins without fail and with bainbridge getting fast ferry that will make it even more a issue. John thinks he is making all these good changes yet if you go to four veteran operators and ask if they are working on a app to make riding easier you will get four different answers and customer service doesn't even know. He needs to make things better not make things worse off for riders. Even calling and asking for supervisor leads unwanted results It's obvious the different departments don't talk to each other: supervisors are clueless what customer service deals with, transit drivers don't communicate with ferry systems run by Kitsap and the ferry systems don't communicate with drivers. You have buses that don't meet up with ferry transfers and ferry that don't meet up with bus transfers but it's seen as oh well not our problem. The ADA buses don't just help the blind or such. They help when drivers often don't even know their own route And don't know where to drop someone off. Or they tell the rider to literally "figure it out I can't be responsible for keeping track of where riders need off of at" well ya as gum chewer said a veteran of routed "we aren't metro" therefore remembering one person when they are paying and don't know where to get off should be reasonable. And yes since a driver mentioned it because they Aren't metro that is why Metro does so well. It's not just because employers pay for their transit but also because they are rider friendly. You have drivers that willfully ignore calling off their stops yet that is seen as okay to where they don't call off any. read more

strike two--- today: payed $2 in quarters(the last of my available cash) to get on the bus. my orca card has no credit on it so i ask for a transfer. I get off of the bus in down town bremerton. grab prescriptions and pay for coffee on my debit card(also almost down to $0) i realize that i might not make it on time to the down town ferry terminal station, so i hoof it further down the street to a stop that the bus comes to a little later. bus arrives within a minute or two. i hop on a flash my fresh transfer ticket. the bus driver stares at me blankly and informs me that they only accept those downtown. confused, i ask "aren't we still in the 'downtown' area". she scowls and then notifies me that she was referring to the downtown transfer station(at the ferry terminal). bewildered, i say..."so if i have no money this is no good?" of course she replies, "yes, you must come up with some money". i say "peace" and walk off the bus and start on the trek to work. I have taken public transportation in probably around 20 counties/parishes...a good solid chunk of my life has been spent on buses. i have transfered buses from bellingham all the way to portland in a single day...i think i have gotten the swing of things by now. kitsap public transportation is the ONLY bus system that i have ever been on that does no accept there own transfers within a block radius of where i received it. not to mention all of there other glorious afore mentioned faults(refer to previous review). the only good side to this was the exercise i got from not taking bus...ugh...water weight. read more

For what it is, it works. For what you pay, it should be cleaner. The seat I had to endure a ride in for over an hour from SEATAC was so worn that the armrest plastic was DIGGING into my arm. read more

Grr...Kitsap Transit is really, really, really horrible and I've spent many years with it being my only sort of transportation! First off, the reliability isn't there - sometimes the bus is REALLY EARLY and sometimes EXTREMELY LATE. It's difficult to predict when it will come and if you're like me, you don't want to be waiting out in the cold for an entire hour. Second, some of the stops are awful! Take for instance, my stop is right where the highway is. Not only have I almost been run over numerous times...but, 50% of the time I'm missed by the bus itself! I've spoken to many people with the same stop and they've said the same thing. The cost is terrible too; thank Bob we got those transfers back. When they weren't available, it was an arm and a leg that you had to pay per transfer! Still though, anyone who doesn't have an Orca Card is really out of luck. Buses also have the cloth-like seat....and well, I've had many disgusting occurrences because of this. AKA: Sitting in almost-dried pee. But, that's not what bothers me...The most annoying thing about the service is the times. They do not operative on Sunday, Saturday schedule stops at 5 or 6, and some buses (such as mine) starts working at 7. This means that I don't get the bus until 8. How am I suppose to go to work like that? Kitsap Transit is not for those who need a reliable and flexible service. It's for those who need to go to the mall on weekdays. Those who have a car..don't take it for granted! I'd trade you spots any day! read more

This is the worst transit system ever! You miss a bus, you're stuck for a whole hour to get another bus in the same direction. And their "express" bus isn't actually an express. It just drives further within that 30 minute block; giving the illusion of an express bus. read more

Probably comparing it to King County Metro or Sound Transit is a stretch and my problem, but it has by far the worse connection schedules ever. If you are ever wondering why you see people running off the Seattle to Bremerton ferry in the afternoon it's because they are trying to catch a bus!! Seriously?!? Yes- the buses that are called "ferry take home buses" will literally depart 5 minutes after the boats have docked- really?!? The only purpose of these buses is to take home ferry commuters and they will always leave 5 min after the ferry is scheduled to dock!! Argh! I give them an extra star for taking the orca pass- but other than that a sub par transit.. Oh and BTW my driver Never comes to a complete stop for me-he is literally inching away as I step off the bus- I have to brace my self to jump off... Kitsap county is not a mass populated area, if it were the city I would totally expect more from the bus system, however, I feel bad for anyone else that depends on public transportation to get them places. The gaps between services is horrendous at best, and you literally spend more time waiting for a bus than the commute itself. read more

Seriously unreliable. They are early and call you to yell at you for making them wait, they are late because the driver forgot someone in a bathroom at the previous spot or the worst yet, they forget to pick you up altogether! read more

A man was ejected at some point and told that he cannot ride the bus because he reeked like "pot". Well, so f*****g what? Now sadly, he has died. Walking along the side of the road and got hit by a truck!!! It's public transportation people!!! I've rode busses where someone smells like piss or even better, a dumpster! These are considered "offensive odors", not someone who just got through smoking. Kitsap Transit is indirectly responsible for this man's untimely death, and their policies should be reviewed immediately!!! Whoever made the decision to not allow the deceased man to ride the bus while he was still alive should be fired!!! Maybe charged criminally... SHAME ON KITSAP TRANSIT!!! EVERYONE, SMOKE POT AND THEN RIDE THE BUS IN THIS MAN'S NAME!!! read more

Well, I love Kitsap bus. I love the take home ferry bus. I love the fact the seats r comfy - I have never felt the bus was gross. I even lost my pass once and someone returned it - that would never happen on METRO. I hate King County buses so I think Kitsap is great. Yeah, the early stop times suck. And no Sunday service sux. I take the Navy Yard City route so I really only have dealt that. I think the drivers are super nice and the fact they pretty much drop you off in front of your house is great. read more

This is the busline that runs throughout Kitsap County. It goes to and from the ferries and throughout various shopping areas. Pickups througout the peninsula. I know them to be very reliable. read more

The Bainbridge Ferry is horrible and if you ride the bus good luck zero express service in regards to leaving the terminal. The bus drivers are not aggressive enough to move forward and get into traffic for the cars leaving the ferry. In addition, the walkers keep walking and bus drivers never tell them to wait. What about a light so buses can leave first. We are not driving are cars to avoid the traffic and be environmentally correct. read more

these guys are terrible, i have witnessed 1 polite driver everyone else i have run into has a stick up their a** i flag a bus down and run across the road to catch it and the guy has a fit over it... shouldn't be a big deal. stopping in the middle of the highway CONSTANTLY then they bright you when you pass them.. ridiculous. the general rule is don't treat you customers that are PAYING for your service like they are a burden on you. another great example of unions and government systems funded by tax dollars providing superb services, it always turns out great. usually don't even use yelp but felt that my passive aggressiveness was too great to resist today. read more

This is by far the one of the worst transit systems in washington, the bus stops running at 8pm on week days, it doesn't even start running any routs until after 10am on Saturdays and then stops running at 5pm, there is no service at all on Sundays, in silverdale the bus transfer center is in the middle of no where super far from everything and all of the shuttle busses stop at 6pm so if your still shopping and it's 6pm don't buy much, because you will be carrying everything you buy super far just to catch a bus home. I am discussed with this service and compared to other cities are transit system is horrible!! read more

As a person who does not use Kitsap Transit but a driver in the Kitsap area, I'm tired of the way some of the drivers think that they can drive any way they choose. On multiple occasions, drivers "merge" into a lane either without using signals or turn them on halfway into the other lane. This causes drivers of smaller vehicles to slam on brakes in dangerous areas to avoid being hit by a bus!! The drivers have access to turn on emergency lights just so they are not late. A public transit bus is not an emergency vehicle and as such should not be able to use those lights. These drivers and this company needs to be held accountable for all of these things and I'm sure more. P,ease take complaints serious and hold drivers accountable. read more

I took the Silverdale to bainbridge ferry commuter run for a year. It was always on time (except for awful traffic leaving the island). Nice drivers & commuter passengers. I met some really nice folks who have actually commuted on route for over 20 years! You actually make bus buddies. The bus was like a greyhound bus (not a ratty city bus). There were only two times I felt unsafe-creepy guy hitting on women & a mentally unstable man melted down hitting walls & ceiling. read more

If the boat is running behind, don't count on a bus being on Bainbridge to pick you up! In 2 weeks, this is the second time the bus has left before the boat has unloaded the walk-ons! How about wait 5 minutes after your actual scheduled departure when the boat is late? Better yet, use one of your Access busses (which rarely have passengers on them) to take people to their final destination! Kitsap Transit is NOT dependable! read more

I wish they had negative stars because that's all Kitsap Transit deserves. If you're ever feeling down and out and are borderline wondering if there's purpose for you here on Earth--- for the Love Of God DO NOT RIDE Kitsap Transit cuz it will ONLY further any established self hatred..... There's absolutely ZERO positive experience with ANY of the drivers, at VERY best there's been mediocre drivers. But mainly just drivers with piss poor attitudes who apparently didn't get the memo that their bus driving position that they applied for and then accepted the job, included----customer service. I've been screamed at for having groceries, lectured for pulling the cord at a mandatory stop. I've been blown by waiting at a bus stop I don't know how many times. And I've been yelled at for being at a bus stop and unconvincing the driver to pick me up. I much more rather come out my pocket for a cab. I miss my car more than ever. Kitsap Transit needs to be defunded and rebuilt with a whole new crew. They are without a doubt, awful to deal with. Its an embarrassing to refer anyone from out of town to use their services. I refuse to do it read more

Great service, both bus and foot ferry. The employees are always nice and its very efficient.