SDOT and Metro have made a two-part announcement about transportation for eastern West Seattle and South Park: Metro Flex service is expanding into eastern West Seattle later this month. And two bus routes will add trips in mid-September. Funding for both is from the Seattle Transit Measure, the sales tax increase approved by voters in 2020.
METRO FLEX: On July 22, this on-demand service – costing riders the same as buses – will launch in Delridge and South Park, as a two-year test run.
The announcement says it will “provide an on-demand van ride to a variety of destinations within the service area for the cost of a bus fare” and lists sample destinations including:
Chief Sealth International High School
Delridge neighborhood
Duwamish Longhouse and western Duwamish Valley
Highland Park neighborhood
South Park neighborhood
South Seattle College
Westwood Village
The announcement explains you can book Metro Flex via app or phone:
After downloading the Metro Flex app from an app store on a smartphone, riders choose their desired destination. They’ll receive a nearby pick-up location to meet their driver and may share the ride with other passengers. Riders with mobility needs—such as using a wheelchair—can save this information within their Metro Flex profile. Download Metro Flex in the app store or call 206-258-7739 for a ride.
ADDED BUS SERVICE: On September 14, Routes 60 and 125 will add trips. 125 currently runs six days a week but will add Sundays; the announcement says 125 will in all add “about 50 additional bus trips each week, 26 bus trips on Sundays.” For Route 60, which serves Westwood Village and South Park, trips will be added on both weekdays and weekends, the announcement says, to “increase Route 60 bus service by over 3,000 operational hours a year.” The Route 125 additions were hinted at earlier this year, during a discussion of proposed stop closures/moves; this announcement does not mention the status of those, so we’ll be following up.
Great start, SDOT and Metro. This is needed to address West Seattle’s ‘transit deserts.’ It’s time to bring better transit to areas crucial for the West Seattle community and contain transit-dependent populations.Transit Desert elimination solution.Rather than building Sound Transit’s $4 billion, four-mile theme park mini-train from SODO to the Alaska Junction, use ST3 project monies to take advantage of our current bus and other existing transit systems by increasing the number of vehicles, services, and routes where they’re needed. This is called the “No Build” clause. “No Build” does not mean do nothing; it helps us build something better. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, and it can be achieved with little environmental impact and without people losing their businesses, homes, or jobs.
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