I’m sitting in this little teahouse in Wallingford, Seattle, the one with the flying ants that flock to the window and mysteriously die (yeah, you know, that one…) and I’ve take it upon myself this trip to be stubborn, not rent a car, and attempt to navigate the area as a tourist. Here it is, the end of the weekend, and I’ve done my part to get around, taking more buses than I could name, plus a couple of ferries and a train.
Seattle has a slew of transit agencies that make connections really sort of astonishingly confusing, or at the least, they seem so when looked at on paper. But a few words to the transit system here, because the powers-that-be have made it more complicated for the visitor than it really has to be:
- There is a “day pass,” but the price and vendor of said pass depends on which day you attempt to purchase it. Weekends and holidays (not all holidays, mind you, just the ones that the transit people recognize), the “day pass” may be purchased from the driver for $3.50 (2 1/3 trips) and is good for free rides all day on King County Metro buses. However, on express buses run by Sound Transit (white and blue) this accounts for only $1.50 toward the full fare, which is more typically $2.50, depending upon how you’re going exactly. This is also good on Pierce Transit buses, which operate out of Tacoma. It is not good on the Washington State ferry system though, including the Bremerton and Bainbridge Island services. It is also not valid on the monorail. Day pass info.
Now, if you’re looking for this day pass on a weekday, it won’t be available. You have to buy what’s called the “visitor’s pass” for $5.50 (3 2/3 trips) and that pass is only available at several places Downtown Monday thru Friday 8am-5pm. Or it can be purchased online and shipped to you. So, not only are you paying an exceptional amount for a day pass, but, if not already staying Downtown, you also have to pay the additional fare to get to Downtown to buy the pass. More on the visitor’s pass. - The free zone Downtown wreaks all sorts of havoc on the visitor. Buses are free within a zone running north from Jackson Street (near King Street Station and the International District) to about Battery Street (near the World Trade Center and Edgewater). When you board a bus Downtown for free, you must pay when you exit. This is only until 7pm, when it becomes pay as you get on again. Confusing?
- The bus system’s (King County Metro’s, that is) punctuality and frequency is pretty astounding, even on Sundays, when most other American systems seem to take a vacation.
- Advice to visitors: you can stay in the suburbs and still get around without a car. Just make sure that you’re near a non-Sound Transit (500 series) bus stop that uses a freeway to get into Seattle. The 271, 150, 194 and such are all wonderful examples.
- There are often festivals going on on the weekend during the summer in various parts of the city and this creates detours for the buses. Near the waterways is the more likely place for this, but it’s important to check the “Rider Advisory” note when it appears on the bus’s schedule, so make sure to look before you leap.
The fact is that Seattle will have a north-south light rail system by the end of 2009. It will run from Northgate Mall to Downtown Seattle via the University of Washington campus, continuing south on the long, stoic ride to Sea-Tac Airport, currently best accomplished by bus #194. There are many other ambitious plans for service, such as an eastern corridor to, at the least, Bellevue, if not Redmond, but that’s a long a way off. However, this will likely make it a tad easier to navigate Seattle via public transit.
Tags: seattle
