Last week, the King County Council voted to pass a two-year, $20 vehicle license fee to preserve Metro bus service. Part of the deal that got council Republicans on board was an agreement to phase out the downtown Ride Free Area, which costs the county around $2 million a year.

Real Change director Tim Harris argues that the move was an attack on the poor; Downtown Seattle Association vice president Jon Scholes and environmentalist Roger Valdez argue that saving Metro from service cuts is more important than preserving free rides downtown.