Today Mayor Ed Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen celebrated increased King County Metro bus service in Seattle. The increased service riders now enjoy are a direct result of Seattle residents passing Proposition 1 in November 2014. The first increase went into effect in early June with more services coming in September.
The Mayor thanked Seattle voters for moving Seattle one step closer to getting the transit system the City wants and needs, and explained that expanded transit options supports economic growth, reduces traffic, and transit use of electric trolleys help lower our city’s carbon footprint.
Metro Riders and Driver join Metro GM Kevin Desmond, CM Tom Rasmussen, Exec. Dow Constantine, Mayor Ed Murray, SDOT Director Scott Kubly.
Proposition 1 allowed SDOT and King County Metro to add 9,000 service hours per month in June and will add 9,000 additional hours per month this coming September. These new hours will be added to both weekday commute and off-peak periods, enhancing services to 85 percent of in-city routes. In total, 223,000 bus hours will be added annually to existing bus service.
SDOT’s route improvement identification process was designed to meet the demands of a growing city and an always-on economy that requires trips for work, shopping, recreation, and other purposes outside of traditional commute hours. The new transit is the equivalent of more than 50 buses operating 12 hours per day, 365 days per year.
In addition, in-city transit is now more accessible for everyone, and more affordable for low-income residents through King County’s ORCA LIFT program, which provides up to a 50 percent discount on fares for income-qualified riders. Starting this summer, in addition to enrolling people in the Utility Discount Program, the Seattle Human Services Department will also be able to connect eligible people in Seattle to a variety of affordability resources including the $20 car tab rebate program and the ORCA LIFT card.
In total, the route improvements expand Seattle’s portion of Metro’s system by approximately 15 percent. They are funded through a combination of car tab fees and a 0.1 percent sales tax that will annually provide $45 million over the next six years.
Please visit www.Seattle.gov/Transit for additional information.