1—RapidRide

• Total service hours to be added through Transit Now: 100,000
• Hours added as of Sept. 2008: 0 (RapidRide service is scheduled to start on the first corridor in 2010)

RapidRide is Metro Transit’s new, streamlined bus service that will provide frequent, all-day service in the following five corridors:

• A Line—Tukwila to Federal Way on Pacific Highway S (State Route 99) (scheduled to launch in 2010)
• B Line—Bellevue to Redmond on NE Eighth Street and 156th Avenue NE via Crossroads and Overlake (2011)
• C Line—West Seattle to downtown Seattle using Fauntleroy Way SW, California Avenue SW, and State Route 99 (2011)
• D Line—Ballard to Uptown and downtown Seattle along 15th Avenue NW (possible alternate routing along 24th Avenue NW) (2012)
• E Line—Aurora Avenue N (State Route 99) between Shoreline and downtown Seattle (2013)

Everything about RapidRide—the buses, the stops, the way it operates—is being designed to keep people moving quickly throughout the day in these heavily used transit corridors. Buses will arrive frequently—at least every 10 minutes during the busiest morning and evening travel hours.

RapidRide buses will be designed to let people get on and off quickly, and the stops will be placed where the most riders gather. At the busiest stops, Metro will build stations with distinctive shelters, seating areas, and customer information. Electronic signs at the stations will provide real-time information about when the next bus will arrive.

Metro estimates the infrastructure cost of RapidRide at approximately $190 million, including roadway improvements, passenger facilities and amenities, and new buses. This funding is coming from a combination of the Transit Now sales tax increase, partnerships with cities, and support from federal and state grants.

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What’s happened so far

Metro conducted public outreach in late 2007 and early 2008 for the Pacific Highway S, Bellevue-Redmond, and West Seattle corridors, providing information to the public and collecting feedback through mailings, open houses, information tables, and online questionnaires. Stakeholder advisory panels and cities in the affected areas reviewed public feedback and provided input on station locations, stop spacing, and routing for these corridors.

Metro chose the colors and design concepts that will distinguish RapidRide with an eye to reflecting the three defining RapidRide concepts: frequent service, simplicity of use, and the best that Metro has to offer. Fresh and distinctive, the RapidRide look (see artist’s renderings at top right) will also be recognizable as part of the well-known Metro family.

What happens next

In 2009, the routing of the first three RapidRide corridors will be approved by the Metropolitan King County Council and Metro will begin building facilities for the A Line along Pacific Highway S. The first of the five RapidRide routes to be put in service, the A Line, is scheduled to begin operating in 2010.

After the King County Council approves the routing for the first RapidRide corridors, Metro will begin a second phase of planning and outreach to adjust existing bus service to avoid duplicating the new RapidRide service in those corridors.

Metro planners are also looking at how to adjust the transit network once Sound Transit’s Link light rail service begins in 2009. When both of these new services are underway, there will be many opportunities for Metro to connect local routes with them.

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