Bequest to Metro will provide key transportation services for seniors and disabled in southeast Seattle
One woman’s generosity will soon enable King County Metro Transit to provide new transportation services to hundreds of people living in southeast Seattle.
 On Feb. 28, King County Executive Ron Sims accepted a check for $403,839 from the estate of Lillian Hyde, a long-time resident of Beacon Hill who died in March of 2002 at the age of 90. After remembering her friends and family members in her will, she left the remainder of her estate to King County Metro Transit’s ACCESS Transportation program.
"By all accounts, Mrs. Hyde was an independent woman, and her gift will bring independence to others by providing more transportation services," said Sims. "The unprecedented gift will become a legacy to provide personalized transportation assistance for seniors and disabled throughout southeast Seattle."
ACCESS Transportation is part of Metro's Accessible Services program. It offers service to people in King County who, because of a disability, are unable to use the regular bus system some or all of the time. ACCESS is currently providing almost one million rides each year.
Before her death, Mrs. Hyde used a wheelchair for many years and had often used ACCESS services. She was very firm in telling her neighbors and attorney that she wanted this gift to provide transportation services for seniors and disabled in the southeast Seattle area where she lived. According to Metro’s General Manager Rick Walsh, the ACCESS staff had several ideas for using Mrs. Hyde’s gift.
"The ACCESS staff decided to do it in a way that honors Mrs. Hyde’s independent and giving spirit, and helps as many southeast Seattle residents as possible," said Walsh. "So, starting in September of this year, the Lillian Hyde Shuttle will begin operation in conjunction with an innovative new travel advocates hotline called RIDE OPTIONS."
The Lillian Hyde Shuttle will provide free curb-to-curb van service on weekdays during normal business hours. The van will serve senior citizens and people registered for ACCESS transportation who reside in the Beacon Hill and southeast Seattle area.
The van will operate primarily in that area, but trips to popular medical facilities in the downtown, First Hill and North Seattle area will be included. Initially the service will be primarily used for medical appointments, grocery shopping and banking, but will also include other popular destinations based on demand.
Travel advocates and the RIDE OPTIONS hotline will be a pilot project to fund to provide transportation information and referral service for senior citizens and people registered for ACCESS transportation who reside in the Beacon Hill and southeast Seattle areas.
Travel advocates will work with customers individually to identify their needs, find transportation options and then provide them with a list of transportation resources. RIDE OPTIONS will include regular Metro bus service, the Hyde Shuttle, volunteer drivers, and several other transportation programs.
Lucrecia and Marcos Sanidad are the co-executors for Mrs. Hyde’s estate and also her neighbors for 27 years. At ceremony to honor Mrs. Hyde, the Sanidads shared the reasoning behind the generous bequest:
"Lillian May Hyde was a vibrant, interesting individual who had many interests. She traveled extensively, and had an insatiable thirst for learning. When she could no longer get around on her own, she began to rely on the Metro Accessible Services to access the world beyond her own home.
"Having access to this service made all the difference for her, as it allowed her to continue to be connected to the outside world. She appreciated what the Metro Accessible Services did for her life, and she wanted others to benefit from it as well.
"She believed in the service’s value so deeply that she donated the bulk of her estate to Metro so that others in the community in which she lived could benefit.
"Please know that you made a difference in her life, and donating this money is her way of giving back to the community."
Both of the new programs funded by the Hyde bequest will begin in September in partnership with Senior Services of Seattle/King County.
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