More C Line service on the way, thanks to Amazon, city $

| Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo: C Line bus along westbound SW Spokane this morning)

“Amazon will fund 12,000 hours of increased bus service over two years on six of King County’s most traveled routes to downtown and South Lake Union,” according to a county announcement today that says the C Line is one of those routes:

… Amazon’s investment will provide 22 additional weekday trips for two years across some of Metro’s busiest routes serving West Seattle, Shoreline, Ballard, and Capitol Hill. The additional service provides room for roughly 1,700 weekday boardings, and includes the RapidRide E Line and C Line, and Routes 8, 40, 62, and 63. …

Amazon is paying Metro $1.5 million for those extra trips, which will start with the September Metro “service change” (on September 22nd), according to the announcement, which also says:

This September, the Seattle Transportation Benefit District will pay for about 20,000 hours of increased Metro service on 12 routes. This includes improving the Routes 41 and 70 to 10-minute service, adding peak period capacity on Routes 8, 17, 18, 40, 56, and RapidRide C, D, and E Lines, and adding late evening trips on Routes 7 and 106. In total, this will add more than 50 weekday trips to some of the busiest routes in Metro’s system, providing capacity for more than 4,000 additional weekday boardings.

The added service on Route 56 was announced by City Councilmember Lisa Herbold two months ago. Meantime, you can see Metro’s full announcement about these (and non-West Seattle) additions by going here.

Fred July 25, 2018 (1:12 pm)

Cant get to the C without more 21 buses.

Mickymse July 26, 2018 (10:52 am)

There would be more frequency on the 21 if residents of Arbor Heights were all willing to transfer to the C… but folks demanded one-seat rides to Downtown when the Rapid Ride first started. Feel free to lobby for the change if it makes more sense to people now.

old timer July 25, 2018 (1:33 pm)

And, RE the 21, there were a number of stops on the 21 route that were to be eliminated, but the notices of closure have been replaced with those temporary bus stop locators.Does anyone know who is going on?

WSB July 25, 2018 (3:22 pm)

Those were removed as announced (well, we had to ask them, previously they’d only been announced via physical notices at the stops) … I thought the temp poles were to hold explanations of what happened to the bus stops, for a while. No? Here’s the story we broke thanks to a reader tip:

https://westseattleblog.com/2018/07/some-west-seattle-bus-stops-on-metro-route-21-are-about-to-be-closed/

Craig July 25, 2018 (1:54 pm)

Is there still a driver shortage?

WSB July 25, 2018 (2:00 pm)

I’m asking Metro that.
- WSB July 25, 2018 (3:20 pm)
  
  And the reply: “We currently have 3,008 operators, which is the largest Metro has ever been and is on target for current service levels. We continue to hire to meet our planned service increases in September and in 2019 but our bigger challenge right now is base capacity and finding space for buses. We are working on short- and long-term base expansion plans to keep up with demand for service.”

Rick July 25, 2018 (2:33 pm)

Shouldn’t Kashama be there with her bullhorn to refuse monies donated from the evil empire that is Amazon?

WSB July 25, 2018 (2:45 pm)

She doesn’t have any say, as a city rep, whose money the county accepts.
- Fauntlee July 25, 2018 (3:50 pm)
  
  Actually, she does:https://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/transportation/seattle-transportation-benefit-district
  - WSB July 25, 2018 (3:56 pm)
    
    Yes, she has a role in the TBD, which is a city entity that provides some extra $ to Metro. Not in Metro directly accepting Amazon $ (or not, or accepting $ from other partners mentioned in the news release as linked).
    - Fauntlee July 25, 2018 (4:32 pm)
      
      From the release: This September, the Seattle Transportation Benefit District will pay for about 20,000 hours of increased Metro service on 12 routes. This includes improving the Routes 41 and 70 to 10-minute service, adding peak period capacity on Routes 8, 17, 18, 40, 56, and RapidRide C, D, and E Lines, and adding late evening trips on Routes 7 and 106. In total, this will add more than 50 weekday trips to some of the busiest routes in Metro’s system, providing capacity for more than 4,000 additional weekday boardings.
    - WSB July 25, 2018 (4:53 pm)
      
      Which is in addition to/separate from the Amazon $, which goes directly to Metro, no city involvement. As quoted above. And as verified by Metro’s Scott Gutierrez, with whom I just doublechecked.

KM July 25, 2018 (3:38 pm)

While I’m sure this is intended just to be a rude comment, it would not make sense for *Kshama* to do so, considering her efforts to get larger businesses and corporations to pay more for regional services.

seattlesunburn July 25, 2018 (3:59 pm)

This is a welcome news. The C regularly is cram-packed and in dire need of additional service runs.

Rick July 25, 2018 (4:21 pm)

Ya’ll are starting to remind me of Sheldon on Big Bang Theory”. Do I need to make a big sign that says “Sarcasm”? Thanks Fauntlee.

Swede. July 25, 2018 (6:42 pm)

It’s not a ‘donation’, amazon bought transport for their employees. It’s only the runs that have a lot of amazonians taking to SLU.

ACE July 25, 2018 (6:51 pm)

Glad to see service expanding for the WS routes. I love riding the bus and this make a it even easier.

East Coast Cynic July 25, 2018 (7:52 pm)

Riding a hammered 21X in the morning makes me think that Amazon should consider spreading of its wealth toward this bus line as well.

1994 July 25, 2018 (7:57 pm)

When the Transportation Benefit District taxes are up renewal at election time in 2020 – remember to vote NO. Amazon can help out! Vehicle license fee and sales tax go only through 2020. Here’s a link to the legislation that created the ballot measure, which notes those go through the end of 2020.Voter’s approved a measure in the November 2014 election that started expanding Metro service in Seattle in 2015. The additional service is paid for with a $60 vehicle license fee and 0.1% increase in the sales tax. The improvements focus on reducing overcrowding, increasing frequency and increasing reliability.

Nolan July 26, 2018 (9:33 am)

Just to make sure I understand you correctly: you want people to cut off government funding for a public agency on the presumption that we can shame the difference out of a local corporation?Do you know what governments *do*?

Airwolf July 26, 2018 (9:39 am)

Dont mean to be rude or anything but what’s also needed are more bus only lanes. Plenty times the C comes packed to the rafters and one is struggling to get in only to see another one behind it with only a few people in it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ July 26, 2018 (10:23 am)

Am I the only one who waits for the next bus if the one in front of me is too full?

sam-c July 30, 2018 (4:24 pm)

Nope, not the only one

AmazonAteSeattle July 26, 2018 (11:00 am)

If Amazon wanted to make a real impact instead of serving itself with more busses for the lines its employees ride, it would fund busses for all areas, especially marginalized communities where many are barely holding on and other Seattle residents have to move to thanks to Amazon’s unchecked growth. This is a drop in the bucket for a company that can and should be doing more for the community it has impacted so negatively and really just a PR stunt after the bad press of threatening Seattle by intimating that it would be leaving the city if it didn’t get its way on the head tax. Let’s all line up outside the spheres and see if Bezos will drop any more pennies to the masses.

Swede. July 26, 2018 (11:43 am)

That won’t happen. Not profitable for amazon = not being done.

Waiting in Seattle July 27, 2018 (5:17 pm)

As I stand waiting for a C-line and see a 20 minute gap between buses yet again, this news is hopefully good. It’s becoming far to regular that I’m stranded at 3rd/Columbia for an hour trying to catch a bus (all far too full when there’s a 20 minute gap between them).

Sorry, comment time is over.