[NFBSea] Amid Pandemic Recovery, More Transit Service and Fare Restoration Coming to Puget Sound area
jacobstruiksma at gmail.com
jacobstruiksma at gmail.com
Fri Jun 19 20:00:49 UTC 2020
Transportation
list end
Amid Pandemic Recovery, More Transit Service and Fare Restoration Coming to Puget Sound
By
Stephen Fesler-
June 18, 2020
0
main region
Share
Advertisement
Several more transit agencies in Puget Sound are adding back more transit service and fares as the region recovers from the initial Covid-19 pandemic wave.
Among them are King County Metro, Sound Transit, Kitsap Transit, and Intercity Transit with service improvements, though still quite short of pre-Covid
levels. Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit will also be rolling out additional fare collection on buses.
Restoration of bus service on the way
Metro is leading the way with the most consequential service restorations, starting as soon as June 22nd. This will culminate with 23 routes coming back
online, many of which are peak-hour express routes. This will mean on weekday 84 bus routes in the Metro network will be operating essentially their pre-Covid
service levels while 42 bus routes will be operating on reduced service levels.
Routes returning to service including the 21 Express, 74, 102, 111, 118, 119, 125, 208, 212, 217, 218, 221, 224, 226, 257, 301, 304, 311, 330, 773, 775,
907, and 930. Some additional service will also be added back to the King County Water Taxi operating between Downtown Seattle and Vashon. On weekdays,
Metro plans to operate essentially full service with the exception of Routes 22, 47, 249, and 910–those routes will continue to be suspended.
Still, restoration of service does not mean that all service hours are coming back. According to Metro, weekday service will be at about
85% of pre-Covid levels (opens in a new tab)
while Saturday and Sunday service will be at about 99% of prev-Covid levels. A total 87 routes in the Metro network will remain fully cut, though those
routes tend to be weekday peak-hour express services.
Advertisement
Metro has also announced two new route suspensions. These are limited to Route 63, an express bus between Northgate and Cherry Hill, and Route 628 running
between the Issaquah Highlands and North Bend.
Community Transit has yet to detail exact service restorations for July 6th, but the agency did announce an increase to 75% of pre-Covid service levels.
The agency is currently operating at about 70% of pre-Covid service levels. Service restoration will be focused on the busiest routes first. Later in September,
service will be further increased to 85% of pre-Covid levels and is expected to remain in place through the duration of 2021. July service restorations
by route should be forthcoming later this month.
In Thurston County, Intercity Transit plans to begin scheduled bus service again, starting on June 21st. The agency had fully suspended scheduled bus service
in mid-April, instead moving to a reservation-based system using small passenger vehicles. Buses will return normal routes but at reduced service levels
with most running hourly from 8:30am to 8:30pm. Intercity Transit has also announced that the Yelm service, Route 94, will be at even lower frequencies,
about every 2.5 hours. Passengers will still be able to reserve service outside of normal operating hours.
In Kitsap County, Kitsap Transit will bring back Route 81 on a modified schedule to provide service between Annapolis and the Port Orchard Ferry Dock,
starting on June 22nd. The agency recently restored some service on Routes 333 and 338 as well some trips on the Bremerton-Seattle fast ferry.
Sound Transit also has a limited service restoration in mind. Saturday service on Route 550 between Seattle and Bellevue will be fully brought back to
pre-Covid levels next week.
Fare collection returning around July
All transit agencies began suspending fare collection after the Covid-19 pandemic began to hit the region in March. The practice was implemented to instill
rider confidence and protect bus operators from having to interact with passengers at the front of coaches. Most transit agencies barred passengers from
entering through the front door on coaches unless there was an accessibility reason.
However, many transit agencies have indicated that they will install physical barriers between bus operators and general aisle and passenger areas. Metro,
for instance, is coordinating installation of plexiglass barriers on more than 2,000 coaches that will allow for this type of physical separation. Community
Transit also is providing all bus operators with high quality face masks and face shields, though physical barriers are still in a testing and design phase.
Three transit agencies have announced an intention to restore fare collection around July. In a press conference last week, Metro staff said
this could happen later this month or in early July (opens in a new tab).
Community Transit and Sound Transit have been much more clear about their intentions to restore fare collection on July 1st for most services. The July
1st target is a bit unique since it would be a mid-week operational change, falling on a Wednesday.
Community Transit has stated that fare collection will apply to all bus routes as well as paratransit service. Earlier this month, Community Transit
began collecting fare on Swift bus rapid transit lines since fare collection (opens in a new tab)
is feasible off-board.
Across the Sound Transit network, fare payment on express buses will resume on July 1st where front-door boarding is safely implemented. The initial fare
will be for adults will be a flat $3.25 regardless of in-county and multi-county trips. Routes that are not able to yet safely implement front-door boarding
will continue to be fare-free until they are brought up to appropriate health standards for bus operators and passengers. In May, Sound Transit
began fare collection again on Link and Sounder rail services (opens in a new tab),
though at cheaper $1 and $2 introductory “recovery fares,” respectively.
As the pandemic recovery process evolves, transit riders should expect to see further service level and fare policy changes across the region in the weeks
and months ahead.
figure
05/F1B4E049-2AE9-44C7-9727-C8346EBF159C
Puget Sound Transit Agencies Are Bringing Back Fares and Adding Service
Puget Sound transit agencies are beginning to restore service and fare payment is returning on some services. Pierce Transit and Sound Transit have released
their initial recovery plans that will begin as soon as May 24th. Community Transit also plans join the other two transit agencies in implementing fare
collection, at least on the Swift …
Continue reading Puget Sound Transit Agencies Are Bringing Back Fares and Adding Service
The Urbanist
1 Comment
Open sharing dialog
figure end
We hope you loved this article. If so,
please consider subscribing or donating.
The Urbanist is a non-profit that depends on donations from readers like you.
Related
Puget Sound Transit Agencies Are Bringing Back Fares and Adding Service
May 19, 2020In “Civics & Culture”
Transit Cuts Are On The Way for Every Corner of Seattle
March 20, 2020In “Link light rail”
Metro Planning 15% Service Cut This Fall, Fares Returning in July
June 11, 2020In “Transit”
Advertisement
Previous article
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
Next article
MLK County Labor Council Expels Seattle Police Guild as Contract Showdown Looms
6/5b94c396c9802-bpfull
Stephen Fesler
Stephen is an urban planner with a passion for promoting sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He advocates for smart policies, regulations, and implementation
programs that enhance urban environments by committing to quality design, accommodating growth, providing a diversity of housing choices, and adequately
providing public services. Stephen primarily writes about land use and transportation issues.
RELATED ARTICLES
MORE FROM AUTHOR
Soft Opening for a Hard Won Trail
Soft Opening for a Hard Won Trail
Safe biking infrastructure still has a long way to go in Bellevue--but building it is worth it. (Photo by Chris Randels)
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
Via to Transit On-Demand Shuttle Service Is Back
Via to Transit On-Demand Shuttle Service Is Back
Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed.
main region end
Donate
The Urbanist is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. We largely depend on donations to handle our ongoing costs. Monthly donations are greatly appreciated from readers
like you.
07/Donate-Now-e1532828584892
Urbanist Meetup
Monthly meetups are back in an online capacity. The
June meetup featured Shaun Scott,
a political activist, labor organizer, historian, filmmaker, and writer, click the link to watch the video. In July, we'll be joined by Katie Wilson, General
Secretary of the Seattle Transit Riders Union. Mark your calendars for July 14th.
Advertisement
Recent Comments
list of 5 items
Beth on
Eliminate the Mortgage Interest Deduction: Part Two
Sofonisbe on
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
Doug Trumm on
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
Anonymous on
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
Anonymous on
Let’s Make Bellevue a 15-Minute City
list end
Upcoming Events
list of 1 items
Urbanist Monthly Meetup with Katie Wilson of TRU
July 14 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm PDT
list end
View All Events
Language Translate Widget
Select Language
Powered by
Google Translate Translate
article end
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM
@URBANISTORG
s640x640/101552387_732775000799851_4395444512997763522_n
s640x640/101037410_582680049042247_5813867789184174078_n
s640x640/101037317_105225527812858_5609019550060402523_n
The Urbanist
The Urbanist serves to examine and influence urban policies by promoting and disseminating ideas, creating community, and improving the places we live.
Contact us:
info at theurbanist.org
POPULAR POSTS
The West Seattle Freeway Should Not Be Rebuilt
The West Seattle Freeway Should Not Be Rebuilt
April 28, 2020
Let’s Build a New West Seattle Bridge That Carries Light Rail Too
Let’s Build a New West Seattle Bridge That Carries Light Rail...
April 16, 2020
East Link Is Starting to Look Like a Light Rail Line as Construction Progresses
East Link Is Starting to Look Like a Light Rail Line...
November 1, 2019
POPULAR CATEGORY
list of 9 items
Transportation1301
Transit840
Civics & Culture830
Land Use & Development678
Housing575
Cycling398
Politics & Government391
Video378
Walking351
list end
Publication content licensed under
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbsea_nfbnet.org/attachments/20200619/2902bf12/attachment.html>
More information about the NFBSea
mailing list