NEW YEAR’S EVE: 2nd year of free Metro rides

| Holidays | Transportation | West Seattle news

Again this year, Metro is offering free rides on New Year’s Eve. Here’s the announcement:

For the second year, King County Metro will offer free rides on New Year’s Eve. Rides will be free from 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, to 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, including DART and Access service. In addition, Metro will add buses to its night routes. The Seattle Streetcar also will be free on New Year’s Eve, and Sound Transit will extend the operating hours of Link light rail service between Angle Lake and the University of Washington.

“As we ring in another new year together, we are glad to again offer free rides on Metro to help keep the celebration safe for everyone,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “We appreciate all our customers, and hope folks who give transit a try during the holiday season will join the half-million daily Metro riders who depend on our safe, friendly, and reliable service all year ’round.”

“Access to safe and reliable transportation is a cornerstone of Metro’s mission and New Years Eve is no exception. We hope existing and future riders will utilize Metro to help them celebrate the New Year this year,” said King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, who proposed the idea in 2017.

King County Metro will operate reduced weekday schedules on New Year’s Eve on some routes, with extra buses on several routes serving destinations such as Seattle Center, Capitol Hill and downtown. New Year’s revelers can take advantage of Metro’s recently expanded Night Owl network, with added service on major routes between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Sound Transit will operate extended Link light rail service with trains running until 2 a.m. pm New Year’s Eve. The last trains to leave Westlake Station depart at 2 a.m.

The Seattle Streetcar will operate until 1 a.m.

Metro routes with added trips as needed will include 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 24, 32, 36, 40, 41, 62, 65, 70, 101, 106, 120, 124, 150, 255, RapidRide A, B, C, D and E lines, and ST 550 and ST 554. The fareboxes and ORCA card readers on Metro buses will be covered to remind customers not to pay. A regular valid fare will be required on Sound Transit Express buses.

This announcement as published on the county website also includes holiday service-change info for Christmas/New Year’s.

John December 21, 2018 (9:21 pm)

This is Metro contributing to a safe New Years Eve, hopefully keeping a few inebriated partiers from unsafe driving on this legendary night of ‘amateur’ drinking.Thank-you King County Metro.

West Seattle Hipster December 21, 2018 (11:12 pm)

Thank you King County taxpayers!

flimflam December 22, 2018 (8:32 am)

yup. this isn’t really “free” – it has costs and they are being paid by somebody…

AMD December 22, 2018 (9:04 am)

This is such an amazing idea! I would love to see them expand it to 4th of July, too.

MJ December 22, 2018 (9:39 am)

Hopefully people who have imbibed use this option AND DO NOT DRIVE IMPAIRED!

Swede. December 22, 2018 (12:50 pm)

It’s a great idea and way to try to keep it safer on the road. And to all the complainers most the budget (~60%) comes from sales tax. Which proportionally obviously gone up with the big influx of people and the increase of average income.