Metro's new 'RapidRide' bus, station design unveiled

Narrator Says:

It started as a plan, but soon it will become reality.

When King County voters overwhelmingly passed the ‘transit now’ initiative in November of 2006, King County Metro Transit quickly got to work developing a Bus Rapid Transit system  that could serve some of the county’s most densely populated, high ridership areas which it branded ‘RapidRide’.

Recently, the first of the ‘RapidRide’ buses made its debut.

And as Metro grapples with one of the worst budget shortfalls in its history, it got some good news from the Federal Transit Administration: Almost $14 million dollars of help from the FTA.

Former King County Executive Ron Sims Says:

Today I am pleased to announce Metro is one step closer to brining more frequent service and reliable bus service to some of the counties busiest transit corridors. We have just learned that the Federal Transit Administration has released much-needed grant funds to help Metro finance the launch of its first RapidRide route. That grant will help fund the A-line serving the cities of Tukwila, Des Moines, Sea-Tac, Federal Way, and Kent beginning in 2010.

FTA Executive Director Matt Welbes Says:

This is a transit-happy community. As you walk down the streets of Seattle, you see buses, you can see ferry boats, there are street car lines. There's a lot of transit, this is a transit-rich environment, people take a lot of transit. And today, we are announcing an addition to that mix of transportation options in the Seattle environment.

Narrator Says:

This FTA funding will help pay for about 16 new buses, as well as various station and shelter enhancements,

The RapidRide stops and stations will be highly efficient and feature amenities brand new to Metro, including more modern stops and stations,

This prototype of these new stop designs was recently unveiled along with a prototype RapidRide bus.

The stops will feature signs with ‘Real-Time’ bus information, telling riders how many minutes until the next bus arrives.

King County Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond Says:

The key feature of RapidRide 10-min. Frequencies during the peak period, and 15-min. Frequencies during the off-peak. During the peak period, even in the off-peak, you don't need a schedule any more. You just arrive, the bus will show up, that's a key feature to the passenger waiting experience.

Narrator Says:

‘RapidRide’ will be implemented in five key transit corridors.

Coming first in 2010 will be the A-line, serving several south King County communities followed by:

-The B-line in 2011 serving Bellevue and Redmond, and the C-line serving west Seattle.
-In 2012, the D-line serving Ballard, uptown, and downtown Seattle.
-And finally the E-line in 2013, will run between shoreline and downtown Seattle.

Narrator Says:

On its RapidRide corridors, Metro will also put more space between stops.

This, along with some roadway improvements, will significantly cut down on ride times for passengers, and help riders connect with communities across the county much faster than before.

King County Councilmember Dow Constantine Says:

These are communities that are part of our whole economic engine. It's no longer just Seattle, but a whole collection of cities with compact downtowns, with growing business communities. The citizens of our county think of this as a region. They may live in Redmond, and work in Seattle. They may live in Federal Way and work in Shoreline. It is one big economic region to them and our infrastructure needs to respond to that.

Narrator Says:

‘RapidRide’ bus service will also help bolster Metro’s reputation as a national leader in reducing pollution.

The new ‘RapidRide’ coaches are state-of-the-art hybrids that will cut fuel costs as well as emissions.