New Metro changes greet commuters Monday morning
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SEATTLE -- Commuters who depend on King County Metro met Monday with both grins and grimaces.
Monday was the first weekday riders experienced the results of the largest route reorganization since 1973.
The changes include five new routes, 17 discontinued routes and two new RapidRide lines. Metro also introduced revisions on more than 50 of its existing routes.
Some riders on Monday said the rapid lines took up to an hour to travel from West Seattle to downtown Seattle.
"It's not much faster. It's just a nicer bus," said rider Christian Bianco.
Metro has also done away with the 40-year-old ride-free zone, and riders must now pay upfront, either with cash or an ORCA card. The group Solid Ground on Monday began offering a free shuttle now that the ride-free zone is no longer.
Metro urged riders to be prepared and to be patient during the adjustment period.
"It's very important for our some 340,000 daily riders to be aware of these changes, for them to do their homework," said Kevin Desmond of King County Metro.
For specific route changes, visit metro.kingcounty.gov.
Monday was the first weekday riders experienced the results of the largest route reorganization since 1973.
The changes include five new routes, 17 discontinued routes and two new RapidRide lines. Metro also introduced revisions on more than 50 of its existing routes.
Some riders on Monday said the rapid lines took up to an hour to travel from West Seattle to downtown Seattle.
"It's not much faster. It's just a nicer bus," said rider Christian Bianco.
Metro has also done away with the 40-year-old ride-free zone, and riders must now pay upfront, either with cash or an ORCA card. The group Solid Ground on Monday began offering a free shuttle now that the ride-free zone is no longer.
Metro urged riders to be prepared and to be patient during the adjustment period.
"It's very important for our some 340,000 daily riders to be aware of these changes, for them to do their homework," said Kevin Desmond of King County Metro.
For specific route changes, visit metro.kingcounty.gov.
y'know, just calling it "rapid ride" won't actually get the bus throught traffic any faster...
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strange idea - redo a bunch of bus stops, call it "rapid" and *pow*, its a whole new awesome system. no, its freaking busses....nothing remotely new here.
Note to Metro:
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What really slows the boarding is the fumbling for bills and change now that the fare is something like $27.48 cents except peak hour when it rises to $49.61 except on the odd number Winter and Spring solstices which gives a discount of 17 % multiplied by the square root of pi to those with a mysterious card that is apparently handed out like phones at an Obama rally but is always in the other pocket/purse/manbag/shopping cart.
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Discounts should only be available with  pre-paid or DSHS/School District provided ORCA card. (students, seniors, disabled, etc...)
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$3 cash fare for everyone else. Time to get those disposable ORCA cards available like phone cards in every 7-11 and bodega in the city.
@Sid Vishess That's true. They are digging thru their pockets or purse finding money instead of having it ready by the time the bus gets there
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I don't really understand what all the fuss was about with the ride free zone. Maybe 1 out of every 100 riders refused to pay. The bus was going to go anyways so what did it matter? You can squeeze money out of a turnip, the people that didn't pay didn't have money to begin with so you think by eliminating the free ride zone you are going to those people to pay? Not gonna happen. They just won't ride. The purpose of the free ride zone was to get the buses moving out of town quicker. Now you are going to lose time and money while people fumble looking for their passes/change. Traffic will get worse being stuck behind these buses. Metro's logic makes no sense. Tell us the real reason you eliminated it.  Â
@FremontTroll The real reason is that the council told them they had to eliminate it. Remember the $20 traffic reduction fee that is being added to all King county vehicle license renewal for the next two years?
Rapid ride was suppose to be RAPID metro stated that rapid ride runs every 7-10 mins well it doesn't got to 3rd & pike this morning @ 630am and the rapid ride bus to West Seattle didn't come until 7am thats very rapid...and on top of that the driver didn't even know the route ...
@Sweetie pie I think a little patience is in order.
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As with any new system, there is always some "lag" and the increased efficiencies will not be automatically apparent.
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Drivers have to learn these new routes. That doesn't come instantly.
 @commonHuskyfan  @Sweetie During the first week of a new "shake-up" (schedule change), supervisors are out in force doing "time checks" to make sure the buses aren't running hot (early), so it is necessary to "lag" a little until you know where the bottlenecks are. Or are not.
No more free rides...
"It's very important for our some 340,000 daily riders to be aware of these changes, for them to do their homework," said Kevin Desmond of King County Metro.
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Homework? Â I think I'll just drive my car.
This is not what a community is about. Â If you thought Seattle was, at any level, still Seattle this should put the nail in the coffin. Â We are just LA now-- their plot to move here and **** up our city is now complete. Â
@MPS So you are blaming this on people from California? Get real dude, that was the early 90s; you have been watching too many Almost Life reruns.
This is because of budget cuts to Metro, higher fuel costs, and slow economy. All of that equals less revenue and funding for Metro. As a result, they have to cut costs. Tell me how people from california caused this problem?
 @northwestsurfer "Almost LIVE"
 @northwestsurfer "Tell me how people from california caused this problem?"
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Just by being here?
"Some riders on Monday said the rapid lines took up to an hour to travel from West Seattle to downtown Seattle." Um...say what? You have always had to pay as you board on routs traveling toward Seattle? Get over it people, change is here.Â
 @Bianca Pay as you board wasn't the issue on those routes, it was overcrowding on the bus and a slow ride.
@Bianca I guess you missed the part where it said "Metro has also done away with the 40-year-old ride-free zone..."
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That was referring to the Ride Free zone, which used to be "free". Now "riders must now pay upfront, either with cash or an ORCA card". I checked the article again, it did not mention anything about paying up front to boart routes travelling to Seattle
 @northwestsurfer  @Bianca Was West Seattle included in the Free Zone?
I don't think so...
 @northwestsurfer  @OrcasThunder
"Btw, what are you doing here anyway?"
You have got to be joking...I'm here posting my opinions. What are you here for?
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"havent seen you comment on anything else but what I said to Bianca"
Then you've missed a lot.
@OrcasThunder
Btw, what are you doing here anyway? Looks like you are trolling, havent seen you comment on anything else but what I said to Bianca
@OrcasThunder @Bianca Oh, I read it, a few times before posting. I suggest you do the same. To me, it appeared she was chastising riders for complaining that they had to pay when they boarded the bus, on routes outside the ride free zone.
Here, ill help you out by quoting her: You have always had to pay as you board on routs traveling toward Seattle?"
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Oh, I am from west seattle, I am pretty familiar with all of this.
 @northwestsurfer  @OrcasThunder  @Bianca I'm sorry - I thought that you had actually read Bianca's mention of "took up to an hour to travel from West Seattle to downtown Seattle." when you guessed that she missed the part about the free ride zone...
@OrcasThunder @Bianca Nope, I never said west seattle was, did I?
@northwestsurfer It never was really "free", the taxpayers usuall got stuck with the bills.
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