When it came time to design new bus routes for South Kitsap, even Kitsap Transit Service Development Director John Clauson, a Port Orchard resident, did not get special treatment.

“The stop I use now isn’t going to be there anymore,” Clauson said, explaining to a group gathered at Givens Community Center that starting Dec. 14 when the bus routes are condensed from five to four, he will have to walk farther to catch the bus.

When attendees expressed surprise that the Port Orchard City Councilman was a regular bus rider, Clauson said it was not only easier, but part of his job.

“I take the bus because it’s a good way to see what’s going on,” he said, adding that his situation was similar to many other South Kitsap residents, who might soon find that their usual bus no longer goes near their house, or even to their neighborhood.

“The one I’m most concerned about is (a mobile home park) near Fred Meyer,” he said, adding that that were a few riders from that location who “consistently use our service.”

Another change will be the lack of a stop in front of the Port Orchard Active Club at Tacoma Avenue and Sroufe Street. The new No. 5 route, split into No. 5 Harrison and No. 5 Sedgwick, will stay on Sidney Avenue.

Another concern with the new routes is how residents of the Retsil Veterans Home, many of whom rely on wheelchairs, will be able to get to what Clauson said was their top three destinations: Albertsons, Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer.

The veterans home will be served by the new No. 9, but only in one direction. As it currently stands, that bus will only stop at the veterans home at the end of its circular route, when it is returning to the Port Orchard ferry dock.

To then get to Albertsons or Wal-Mart, a Retsil resident would have to wait while the bus sits at the ferry terminal for 15 to 20 mins before it heads back up Olney to the grocery store. To get to Fred Meyer, which Clauson said is now the most popular destination of the three stores, the resident would have to transfer to a No. 8, which heads down Bethel Avenue.

However, Clauson said that since all buses start and end their routes at the ferry dock downtown, bus can change their routes, depending on where their passengers are going. Theoretically, he said, a wheelchair-bound passenger headed for Fred Meyer could get on a No. 9 at the veterans home, then have the same bus turn into a No. 8 as it leaves the ferry dock.

In fact, Clauson said Kitsap Transit keeps such close track of their passengers that the agency records where riders get on the bus and off, and knows how many people ride each route every hour of the day.

This careful data collection helped the agency determine what hours could be cut from each route, and how to design the South Kitsap routes. Since his meetings with riders, however, Clauson said the routes have been tweaked.

“People asked me why there were no street names on the maps we first released, and it was because the routes were ‘soft,’” Clauson said. “That way, I could move them a block this way or that, or have the buses follow different trails.”

Clauson said the No. 9 may change as well, and begin stopping at the veterans home in both directions. That is because there is a time cushion built into the route, and “we’d rather have them stopping at Retsil than sitting at the ferry dock for 20 minutes.”

When the changes are implemented Dec. 14, Clauson said the four new routes in South Kitsap will be free to all riders through Dec. 31.

Since many stops will change, Clauson said the agency is still determining when it will take down the old signs and put up the new ones. For new stops, Clauson said the signs will likely be put up, but covered with a bag to let riders know the buses won’t be stopping there yet.

One rider asked how many drivers will be let go after the transition, and Clauson said “don’t hold me to this, but we’re probably going to lose five or six drivers,” adding that some may be accepting early retirement.

When asked when Sunday service would be returning, Clauson said he did not know.

“It depends on the economy,” he said. “The (Kitsap Transit) board is having lots of discussions right now on what is the appropriate amount of reserves we need to be keeping.”

Maps of the new routes should be available on Kitsap Transit buses, but Clauson said they are unable to post the new maps on the agency’s website as of yet.