Big News on Metro Service
KC Exec Dow Constantine announced a deal in which King County Council to approve the $20 Car Tab increase to save bus service in the County.
Constantine announced that Metro would eliminate the "ride-free" area in Downtown Seattle and this move brings KC Councilmembers Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert along to support a "councilmanic" vote for the rate increase.
While this may be an inconvenience to riders in downtown, it will certainly be a relief to the thousands of riders who depend on their Metro Bus service in Shoreline and all over the county, to get to work and for other needs.
Shoreline/LFP PATCH has the story:
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Metro Bus Stop
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King County Council Ready to OK Car Tab Fee
The measure now has the support of Republicans Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert.
The King County Council is now poised to approve a $20 increase in car tab fees following the decision by Eastside representatives Jane Hague (R-District 6) and Kathly Lambert (R-District 3) to throw their support behind the measure in exchange for a set of conditions.
The added fees are intended to make up for a decline in sales tax revenue that funds Metro bus service in the county.
Lambert and Hague, who had previously opposed the fees, announced their changed position Friday morning. Their support gives the council the authority to enact the fees without voter approval.
“This bipartisan agreement addresses my primary concerns and offers real reform for Metro,” Hague said in a council news release. “It’s critical that we keep people and businesses moving on the Eastside – especially during these tough economic times. This new package creates jobs and provides equity for the Eastside.
Lambert and Hague agreed to support the fees in exchange for a set of requirements calling for Metro to operate more efficiently. These conditions, as listed in a council news release, include:
Developing a Transit Incentive Program to provide eight bus tickets worth up to $24 for each car tab renewal
Phasing out the downtown Seattle Ride Free Area in October 2012
Increasing the pool of funds that provides sharply discounted bus tickets to human service and homeless programs
Implementing right-sizing of service consistent with the Transit Strategic Plan
Considering routes that carry more riders due to the effects of highway tolling as candidates for added services
“We’re working together in a bipartisan fashion, unlike those in Washington, D.C.,” Lambert said in the news release. “People in these uncertain economic times need certainty that they have an alternative method such as buses to get to work. There are many systemic changes in the new package that will help meet the needs of efficiency, transparency, and providing transportation.”
Metro had said it would need to cut bus service by 17 percent if the fees were not enacted. A council vote on the measure is scheduled to take place Monday.
Councilmembers Larry Phillips, Bob Ferguson, Larry Gossett, Joe McDermott, and Julia Patterson had previously stated their support. Ferguson, who rides bus No. 41 to work, represents Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.
“As a regular bus commuter, I am thrilled that we have reached an agreement that will protect the transit service that workers and their families rely on every day. This agreement will keep our economy moving at the time we need it most,” Ferguson said. “I thank Executive Constantine and my colleagues for working to find common ground. On my way home tonight, I look forward to sharing the good news with my fellow riders on the No. 41 bus.”
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