POULSBO — Poulsbo is a city on the move: population, downtown events, updated roads. And now residents and visitors have a little extra help getting around.

Kitsap Transit began a new bus route — route 44 — on Feb. 1, which loops around Poulsbo’s most visited locales, such as downtown and Olympic College.

“These are Poulsbo’s most frequented spots with a lot of vehicles,” said Steffani Lillie, service and capital development director with Kitsap Transit.

“That’s what we were looking at — how we could reduce traffic congestion by getting people out of cars and onto the bus and still be able to get to all the places they need to go, like to a shop or to a medical center.”

The bus completes the loop, roughly, every 30 minutes. Its schedule runs Monday through Friday from 7:25 a.m. to 7:50 p.m., and a special Saturday schedule from 10:25 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.

The bus is free for now, but Kitsap Transit officials anticipate that a normal fare could be implemented in the future to support the route.

The route loops around Poulsbo’s inner core, mainly stopping at the Poulsbo transfer center on Highway 305 near Lincoln Road, Front Street and Jensen Way, Lindvig Way and Viking Way, Olympic College, the medical center off of Bond Road, and then back to the transfer center. The bus also makes other stops along that route.

Mayor Becky Erickson spent the afternoon of Feb. 5 riding the bus and welcoming riders to the new route. For Erickson, it may be a little more than just a bus.

“This was a brainchild of Mayor (Becky) Erickson,” Lillie said. “She wanted better service connecting downtown and the College and Olhava Way area. She came to us and asked that we put our heads together and see what we could come up with.”

Kitsap Transit planners studied where and when Poulsbo residents traveled in the city to come up with a map of most frequented trips. The product is the new route 44, which also connects some of Poulsbo’s most celebrated resources.

“Connecting Olympic College to downtown is very important,” Lillie said. “We have an education center and we want people who live downtown to be able to get to the college.”

Above: Mayor Becky Erickson checks out the schedule for Route 44, also known as the Poulsbo loop route. Melinda Weer / Herald

Above and below, Kate Heimbach is excited about the new route. She calls herself a “thumbs-up rider” and got off at Central Market to do her shopping. Melinda Weer / Herald