In case you’ve missed the mentions in our daily traffic (etc.) watch, King County Metro wants to be sure you’re aware that they’ll resume collecting fares on Water Taxis and buses one week from today (Thursday, October 1st). The WT reminder is here; Metro’s reminder is here. Both have implemented health/safety measures – the Water Taxi will have shielded fare-collection carts like this:
Both services suspended fares six months ago because of the pandemic.
With no bridge and neighborhoods a mess with detouring traffic, West Seattle should remain with no fares.
They already charge us enough on our car tabs for these services and they can go without for a little while longer even if it was just in West Seattle.
Fares were suspended for driver safety, so that passengers didn’t have to come close to the driver to board and pay. They’ve created plexiglass shields to keep the driver safe, so that is no longer an issue that prevents the collection of fares. It had nothing to do with traffic.
Metro can send the bill for my daily water taxi fare to the attention of Lisa Herbold at City Hall.
Metro website says they will be accepting fares as of Oct 1st but they won’t be enforcing until Jan 1st.
Let’s really look at the water taxi. 1. $5.75 each way, plus $2.75 for any bus on the Seattle side. Comes to $13.50 a day to commute daily on the water taxi. 2. For $2.75 on the bus I can get transfer, but for $5.75 I can’t get transfer on to a bus. They are all part of the Metro system.3. There is no real way to get to the WS landing. The little shuttle bus holds like 12 people and the water taxi over 200 people. How about a bus that runs from Westwood Village down 35 then jogs over to California and down to the water taxi dock? 4. Once I do get to the dock I have to stand out in the rain (or heat), on a rolling dock with no handrails. After ten years they couldn’t build a cover or some railings? 5. The WS Water Taxi is really nothing more than a taxpayer fund fun boat ride for tourist and upper middle class folks in West Seattle paid for by the enter rest of King County.
Actually, commuters get a break when they already have an Orca card. The fare with an Orca card is $5. If you have a pass (worth $2.75 a trip) you only pay the difference, which would be $2.25 a trip. I didn’t do it every day but there were definitely times where hopping on the water taxi was less stressful and worth it. The dock does have handrails, I don’t know why you would say it doesn’t.
Also, with the Orca card, when riding between the water taxi, bus, and light rail, I believe they all count for transfers.
And for those who are lower income or experiencing financial hardship, you might qualify for the discount Orca card program. This card reduces your fare rate.
https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca/orca-cards/lift.aspx#qualify
I would like to see these fares continue to be suspended until the New Year. Many are still navigating and trying to recover from some very challenging times. I think this was good for the community, and applaud our local government for by our local government for this action.
Hopefully, restoration of fares will mean the restoration of service, like the #22. Meanwhile, Arbor Heights remains a transit desert. I had to ride a RR last week because Access is overloaded: distancing was non-existent. People sat wherever, completely ignoring the signs. Masking was sketchy. The bus was most definitely not sanitized. Drivers are protected; seniors are not. I couldn’t wait to get out of what felt like a death chamber.
Paying a fare is moot when you have no service in your neighborhood. Once things open up Metro and the City need to provide all day service throughout WS, the 56 and 57 and other routes that other commenters are aware of.
Yeah, it will be interesting to see how the cancelled routes return when social distancing is no longer needed. My employer isn’t allowing us back to to the office but when it does, I’m curious to see how I will get there.
Is there a good spot / list to check and see which routes have been cancelled? Has Rt. 113 been cancelled?
This is the link we’ve been running all week in traffic transit. 113 still “suspended.”
https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/service-change.aspx
Public transit should be public (free.) Those who need it most are least able to afford it. If you’re one of those people who only thinks of themselves, consider each transit rider to be one less dangerous car to compete with on the road or for parking. What is the cost of administering fares compared to how much it brings in? Why should transit riders pay per ride while car users get free use of roads and streets, subsidized by all tax payers? Yes I know about the minimal gas tax – does that cover 100% of public street and highway cost, including pollution? How much more would you use transit if you could just hop on any bus or foot ferry without the bother of fares or setting up and maintaining an Orca account? Why should tax payer funded services be expected to function like a private business? Fares are like any other fee in that they reduce usage of the resource. Shouldn’t we be doing everything we can to encourage transit use?
Good points, and I like your thinking with this. I wonder if this has ever been proposed and put to a ballot before.
Jed – no it should not be fully taxpayer funded. Metro already has reduced rates for financially challenged people.
Sorry, comment time is over.
| 20 COMMENTS