City
New Plan to Replace Ride-Free Area: Tiny Buses
King County and the city of Seattle may replace the downtown ride-free area with small, 15-seat "circulator buses" to serve people who can't afford to pay bus fare, which ranges from $2.25 to $2.50, once the ride-free area goes away at the end of September. The circulator would offer service about every 20 minutes.
The proposal is a compromise between the city, county, and human service providers. Ideas that now look unlikely included: Hiring people to hand out free bus tickets at Fifth and Jackson, in the International District; preserving free service on routes that run along the entire length of Third Avenue, such as the 358; donating surplus Metro vanpool vans to nonprofit groups once they exceed a certain mileage level; and giving bus tickets to human-services organizations to distribute to their clients.
The circulator buses would be similar to the Access vans Metro already operates to serve disabled transit users, and would operate in a slightly larger zone than the current ride-free area: Up to First Hill and Harborview, deeper south into the International District, and further north, to the Space Needle.
Tim Harris, director of Real Change, says the latest proposal is "not as good as the ride-free area, but I think as a compromise, it will work. The benefit of it is that it does extend the range beyond what the free ride zone was."
Asked whether adding a free circulator to a paid bus system would create a two-tiered system---many large, frequent buses for the rich, one small, infrequent bus for the poor---Harris said, "It is a concern." But, like similar shuttles near Children's Hospital, Harris says, "anybody's going to be able to ride it if you know what it is. ... This is the best political compromise that is going to be capable of saving something of the ride-free area."
According to David Hiller, an aide to Mayor Mike McGinn who spoke at today's meeting, the city and county are currently negotiating over which government will pay for which part of the new circulator service. The county "would like some certainty by the end of May," Hiller said.
Currently, Metro loses about $2.2 million in revenues to the ride-free area every year. The city kicks in about $400,000 to help fund the area. The circulator service would cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to set up, and another $400,000 a year or so to operate. The city wants the county to pay for the capital startup costs. Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke says the plan isn't finalized, although the county is leaning toward some kind of circulator bus system.
The proposal is a compromise between the city, county, and human service providers. Ideas that now look unlikely included: Hiring people to hand out free bus tickets at Fifth and Jackson, in the International District; preserving free service on routes that run along the entire length of Third Avenue, such as the 358; donating surplus Metro vanpool vans to nonprofit groups once they exceed a certain mileage level; and giving bus tickets to human-services organizations to distribute to their clients.
The circulator buses would be similar to the Access vans Metro already operates to serve disabled transit users, and would operate in a slightly larger zone than the current ride-free area: Up to First Hill and Harborview, deeper south into the International District, and further north, to the Space Needle.
Tim Harris, director of Real Change, says the latest proposal is "not as good as the ride-free area, but I think as a compromise, it will work. The benefit of it is that it does extend the range beyond what the free ride zone was."
Asked whether adding a free circulator to a paid bus system would create a two-tiered system---many large, frequent buses for the rich, one small, infrequent bus for the poor---Harris said, "It is a concern." But, like similar shuttles near Children's Hospital, Harris says, "anybody's going to be able to ride it if you know what it is. ... This is the best political compromise that is going to be capable of saving something of the ride-free area."
According to David Hiller, an aide to Mayor Mike McGinn who spoke at today's meeting, the city and county are currently negotiating over which government will pay for which part of the new circulator service. The county "would like some certainty by the end of May," Hiller said.
Currently, Metro loses about $2.2 million in revenues to the ride-free area every year. The city kicks in about $400,000 to help fund the area. The circulator service would cost between $200,000 and $300,000 to set up, and another $400,000 a year or so to operate. The city wants the county to pay for the capital startup costs. Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke says the plan isn't finalized, although the county is leaning toward some kind of circulator bus system.
