Metro marks its 3 billionth passenger boarding

Metro staff will be thanking customers during the Tuesday morning commute by handing out commemorative “3 Billion Served” buttons. On Tuesday morning, Metro staff will be street teaming at: all stations in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel; Third and Union in downtown Seattle; the West Seattle Junction at California Avenue Southwest and Southwest Alaska Street; the Burien Transit Center, 14900 4th Ave. SW; the Bellevue Transit Center, 10850 NE 6th St.; and the Northgate Transit Center, 10200 1st Ave. NE.

With an average of about 400,000 boardings each weekday, it would be hard for Metro to pinpoint exactly which passenger pushes the numbers over 3 billion. So, the agency is inviting all Metro customers to participate in the celebration

"This is an incredible milestone for Metro and the people of King County," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "Together, we've reduced traffic congestion, contributed to cleaner air quality, and saved ourselves money – all by riding a Metro bus. That's why we don't want to single out any one individual as the 3 billionth rider, because all of our passengers are one in three billion."

Just how big a milestone is 3 billion rides? Using information published by the Washington State Department of Transportation, 3 billion is the number of all vehicles that have traveled on Interstate 5 in downtown Seattle for the past 30 years.

It also adds up to 14.5 billion miles traveled by Metro passengers since 1973. Metro statisticians say that’s the equivalent of 156 one-way trips to the sun. They didn’t calculate round trips, because as one said: “You don't come back from the sun.”

Metro’s staff is estimating the timing of the 3 billionth boarding by counting all passenger trips since Jan. 1, 1973, when Metro Transit started. It includes data from buses, streetcars, electric trolleys, and special event service.

“We really want to thank our passengers,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “Without them and their support over the years, Metro would not currently be one of the ten largest bus agencies in the United States and among the leaders nationally in ridership growth.”

Metro employees have also issued a special video “thank you” to customers. The video and information about the celebration are available online.

King County Water Taxi launches its 2009 season on Elliott Bay this Sunday Christened with a new name, King County will again this year operate a water taxi service on Elliott Bay between downtown Seattle and West Seattle. The sailing season kicks off this Sunday, April 5, with activities for all ages. The water taxi service will use the 250-passenger MV Sightseer operated by Argosy Cruises. Boats will depart about every 40 minutes during commute hours and hourly during the middle of the day. Passengers can board at either Seacrest Park in West Seattle or Pier 55 on the downtown waterfront. Crossing time is approximately 12 minutes. Also returning this year is the free shuttle van service which provides a direct connection to Seacrest Park. The shuttle's loop through West Seattle will be split into two Metro Transit routes. Route 773 serves the West Seattle Junction, and Route 775 goes north of Seacrest to the Admiral District and Alki Avenue Southwest. The regular fare for the water taxi is $3 one way for anyone over the age of 5. Passengers with a valid Metro transfer pay just $1. Also accepted for full fare are ORCA cards, FlexPasses, U-Passes, Saturday/Sunday Day Passes, and Regional Reduced Fare Permits with a valid monthly or annual sticker. There will be a community celebration for the new season this Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. at Seacrest Marina Park on Harbor Avenue Southwest. There will be music, family activities, and free rides on the water taxi all day. The King County Water Taxi is funded by the King County Ferry District, which was formed in 2007 to provide passenger-only ferry services. Visit the website for more information about the district. Watch bridge rebuild and traffic with online camera The King County Road Services Division has a new traffic camera in the May Valley area to help people keep tabs on construction of the new Bandaret Bridge and related traffic disruptions. The existing Bandaret Bridge spans upper Issaquah Creek on Southeast May Valley Road between 230th Avenue Southeast and 231st Place Southeast. Construction is being done in stages to minimize the impact to the traffic by avoiding a full closure of the bridge. During the construction, the two lanes of two-way traffic at the bridge location have been routed to a single lane and controlled by temporary traffic signals. These restrictions are in place 24/7 through November.

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