The Seattle Transit Blog reports on a study by King County Metro that concludes that getting rid of the downtown Ride-Free Area, a proposal the King County Council is expected to approve today along with a two-year, $20 license fee to preserve Metro transit service, won't result in significant transit delays---a concern voiced by RFA fans, who like the current system that requires riders to pay as they leave the bus when boarding downtown. The reason: Two-thirds of those who currently board in the ride-free area have already paid or have a bus pass, so they don't contribute to delays (but will have to get used to boarding through the front doors).

More good news: The new system will allow customers to exit through the back doors outside downtown.

Metro plans to expand the enter through the front, exit through the back concept system-wide, with driver and consumer education campaigns to ensure a smooth flow. Most cities operate with systems like this, but for years different Metro drivers have had their own policies for the back door. It’s very encouraging that this change is planned.

There’s also good news on the revenue front. Based on surveys and other data, “the net effect of eliminating the RFA is on the order of $1.8 million a year,” Jacobson said. [Editor's note: King County officials estimated last week that it would be more along the lines of $2.2 million annually.]While none of that revenue is currently budgeted, “any dollar we have can be used to keep more service on the street longer than we could otherwise.”