Metro at 30 - Then & Now
As King County Metro Transit closes out its 30th Anniversary year, there is much to celebrate. Many of the achievements in 2003 owe much of their success to a foundation of excellence and innovation that stretches back 30 years – and farther.
Downtown Seattle Bus Tunnel
2003: In March, an agreement was signed that authorized King County Metro Transit to operate and maintain Sound Transit’s Central Link light rail system. This segment will include joint operations of light rail and hybrid buses inside the 1.3-mile long downtown transit tunnel.
1990: Years ago, the Seattle Times reported that "…anyone with good legs and lungs could keep up with the long line of buses that inched bumper to bumper along Third Avenue every weekday afternoon." But that all changed when the downtown transit tunnel opened in 1990, and within one year of its opening 28,000 commuters were gliding through town below the surface.
Hybrid diesel-electric buses
2003: After months of strenuous testing, Metro and Sound Transit ordered 235 hybrid diesel-electric articulated buses to replace the aging Breda tunnel buses.
1940s: During Word War II, Seattle Transit – one of Metro’s parent organizations – leased two small groups of diesel-electric buses from the U.S. Navy. They weren’t true hybrids. But, the diesel engine did power an electric generator, which powered a traction motor, which turned the wheels.
Eastgate Park-and-Ride garage
2003: In the spring, construction began on a new five-story parking garage at Metro Transit’s busy Eastgate Park-and-Ride lot on Interstate 90. As, Metro celebrates its 30th Anniversary, there are a total of 122 park-and-ride lots spread across the transit system with a total of 19,763 spaces.
1971: In preparation for the ballot measure that would create Metro Transit, a private consulting firm drew up a transit plan that predicted Metro would eventually have 50 park-and-ride lots with 16,000 spaces.
Low-floor buses
2003: As the year ends, Metro introduced a new bus with a low-floor entry. The lack of stairs makes it easier and faster for people to get on and off – particularly for seniors and people with disabilities.
1979: Ed Hall, a Metro engineer, designed a wheel-chair lift for buses that became the industry standard. Metro provided lift-equipped buses long before the federal government required public transportation to be accessible to riders with disabilities.
Smart card
2003: In April, seven public transportation agencies authorized a new fare system that will allow passengers to move more easily between buses, trains and ferries across four counties in the Puget Sound. The "smart card" project should be ready for passengers in 2006.
1973: Originally, Metro set fares at 20 cents base and 10 cents for each additional zone, and there were 30 different zones that the buses traveled through. In 1977, the agency moved to the simpler two-zone system.
Hyde Shuttle
2003: Senior citizens and registered ACCESS transportation users in South Seattle and Beacon Hill began using the new Lillian Hyde Shuttle and Ride Options Hotline programs in the fall. Overall, the ACCESS paratransit program is now providing almost one million rides each year.
1979: Metro began a program to provide door-to-door service for passengers who are not capable of riding standard coaches. Metro’s paratransit program became a model for the rest of the nation.
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