Since its passage, the City of Seattle’s Transportation Benefit District (STBD) has consistently funded transportation improvements across the city, such as more frequent Metro buses, subsidized ORCA cards for income-qualifying residents, and pre-paid ORCA cards for Seattle Public School high schoolers.
Category Archives: Transportation
Income-Based Fare Program Offers Hope, But Some Say Metro Still Needs to Close the Gaps
by Mary Hubert
King County Metro has proposed an income-based fare program that would enable King County residents to pay transit cost on a sliding scale.
This plan responds to increasing concern over the escalating costs of metro fares, which currently exceed those of many other major cities. Although Metro recently rolled out its ORCA LIFT program, which allows qualifying participants to pay $1.50 per ride, the growing number of transit users who either cannot afford this rate or otherwise remain unassisted has prompted further strategizing.
Scenes in Motion: SODO Track murals bring public art to transit travelers
by Lisa Edge
(This article originally appeared in Real Change and has been republished with permission.)
Has your commute become more colorful? Those traveling via bus or light rail along Fifth Avenue South between Royal Brougham Way and South Spokane Street have recently been treated to a new sight: A continuous line of murals, known as SODO Track, turning an otherwise uninteresting route into a charming one.
Continue reading Scenes in Motion: SODO Track murals bring public art to transit travelers
Some Depend on Generosity of No. 7 Bus Drivers; RapidRide Could Change That
by Mary Hubert
Susan* is all business as she boards the 7, toting a cart with her that contains most of her belongings and expertly flipping up the front seats on the bus to nestle it securely in an out-of-the-way spot. She rides this route frequently.
Continue reading Some Depend on Generosity of No. 7 Bus Drivers; RapidRide Could Change That
Sound Transit Drops Initial Card Fee for Disabled, Senior, and Low-Income Riders
by Brian Bergen-Aurand
The first one is free. After that, they’re still three dollars each. But transportation officials and advocates alike believe it’s a step in the right direction.
In a move to encourage more riders to enroll in ORCA card programs in the Puget Sound region, Sound Transit officials announced that they have made initial ORCA cards free for senior, disabled, and low-income riders when they join.
Continue reading Sound Transit Drops Initial Card Fee for Disabled, Senior, and Low-Income Riders
Congestive Failure
by Geov Parrish
Mayor Jenny Durkan’s announcement that she wants the city to come up with a plan for “congestion pricing,” to toll surface streets in downtown and South Lake Union, is only the latest in a growing tradition of city policies that are meant to sound and feel good, but that are deeply delusional and throw Seattle’s working poor under the bus – in this case, literally. Continue reading Congestive Failure
Revised Metro Route 106 Brings Quicker Service, Fewer Transfers to Low-Income Residents
by Enrique Pérez De La Rosa
Emma Catague would often see bus riders dash across Martin Luther King Jr. Way to make route transfers during rush hour to buses that ran only every 30 to 40 minutes. Continue reading Revised Metro Route 106 Brings Quicker Service, Fewer Transfers to Low-Income Residents
