Transit Alert - Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides on Metro and Seattle Streetcar service after 7 PM; Metro operates Sunday service on New Year’s Day

From New Year’s Eve, Monday, December 31 starting at 7:00 PM, until Tuesday, January 1 at 4:00 AM, Metro Transit will provide free rides on all regular bus routes, as well as on Access and DART service during their normal operating hours.

Fares will also be free after 7:00 PM on Seattle streetcars.

Do not buy a Transit GO fare, tap your ORCA card or pay a fare during this time on New Year’s Eve on these services.

Regular weekday fares are required at all times on Monday on all other area service, including Sound Transit Link light rail and ST Express buses operated by Metro, as well as on all transit service on Tuesday, New Year’s Day.

New Year’s Eve transit service
Extra buses will be added to the existing schedules of several Seattle area Metro routes to help mitigate crowded buses heading to or from New Year festivities in the Seattle Center area.

Use the regularly posted timetables to plan transit trips.  No Metro service is being added past the normal operating times of any routes, however extra buses will be added where they are needed. Expect buses serving Seattle Center to be crowded.

Link light rail on New Year’s Eve
Link will operate extended service on New Year’s Eve. The last trains to both Angle Lake and University of Washington Stations leave Westlake Station at 2:00 AM.

A regular fare is required on Link at all times.    

Sound Transit Express bus service on New Year’s Eve
While a regular weekday fare is required on all Sound Transit regional express buses (including those operated by Metro) and Link light rail service on New Year’s Eve, extra buses will be added where needed to help mitigate crowding on Metro-operated ST routes 550 and 554.

Metro routes 3 & 4 for New Year’s Eve at the Needle
On New Year’s Eve from 10:00 PM until about 2:00 AM, Metro routes 3 and 4 will be rerouted in the Seattle Center area due to street closures and traffic congestion associated with the New Year’s Eve at the Needle event. New Year’s Day service Transit will operate a Sunday schedule on New Year’s Day.

Regular Sunday fares are required on all service on Tuesday, New Year’s Day, after 4:00 AM.

Other holiday transit service notes
Besides Metro’s Sunday schedule operation on New Year’s Day,

• Ride2 West Seattle will operate on Tuesday.
• The Vashon Island and West Seattle Water Taxis and DART routes 773 and 775 will not operate on Tuesday.
• Ride2 Eastgate Park-and-Ride do not operate on Monday & Tuesday.
• The First Hill Streetcar operates a Sunday schedule on Tuesday.
• The South Lake Union Streetcar operates a Sunday schedule on Tuesday.

Additional information
Visit Metro’s website for complete information about Metro and regional transportation services.

Use Metro’s text for departures tool. Text your transit stop ID to 62550 to find out when the next transit service is scheduled or predicted at your stop.

See Metro’s Service Advisories page for information about revised Metro bus service, routing and stops for most planned events.

Sign up for Transit Alerts or check for a service advisory before you travel.

Use Metro’s online or mobile regional Puget Sound Trip Planner to plan your travel, and for information about bus stops, schedules, predicted times at stops and other information.

Visit the King County Water Taxi site for information about regular and holiday Water Taxi operation

Visit the Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit or Washington State Ferries websites for information about services provided by Metro’s regional transit partners.

For non-transit traffic or other local updates, check media sources, follow @seattledot or visit

 - https://twitter.com/seattledot 
 - https://twitter.com/SeattlePD 

or other relevant sites. 

Thank you for riding and for using Metro’s services.

Metro wishes you a good and safe New Year.