Transit Alert – Ride Via to Transit, a new on-demand service, in southeast Seattle

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 04/16/2019 05:25 PM PDT

On Tuesday, April 16, King County Metro Transit, in partnership with Sound Transit
and the City of Seattle, launched Via to Transit in the southeast Seattle area.

Via to Transit is a new on-demand ride option, operating as a one year pilot project,
to connect southeast Seattle residents with Link light rail station hubs.

Book Via to Transit rides on-demand using the Via app, or by calling Via at
206-258-7739.

Via to Transit does not have schedules or fixed routing, and does not use Metro bus
stops.  It has designated boarding and drop-off areas near Link stations, but no other
marked stops.

Service area
In southeast Seattle, Via to Transit serves the Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello
and Rainier Beach Link light rail stations.  Each of these Link stations is in its own
defined Via to Transit service area.

Each Via to Transit trip must be within the defined service area for one of these
stations, and must include that station as either the starting or ending point.

Via to Transit does not operate between Link stations.

When booking a ride, riders will be provided with a boarding location, which may be
a short distance from their actual starting point. Via to Transit does not serve Metro
bus stops.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles are available upon request during booking.

Service hours
Via to Transit in Southeast Seattle operates Monday through Saturday from
5:00 AM to 1:00 AM, and on Sundays from 6:00 AM to Midnight.

Fares
Riding Via to Transit costs the same as riding a Metro bus, including for ORCA LIFT,
Youth and RRFP cardholders.

Cash and paper transfers are not accepted.

Via to Transit riders can pay with their ORCA card or with the Transit GO Ticket app.

All ORCA and Transit GO fare and transfer rules apply. When using Transit GO,
select ‘Bus’ as the travel mode.

Via to Transit in Tukwila
Also on April 16, Metro, in partnership with Sound Transit, launched Via to Transit in
the Tukwila area.

Tukwila operating hours are weekdays – Monday through Friday only – from 6:00-
9:00 AM and 3:30-6:30 PM.

The Tukwila service operates the same way, with riders booking trips within a
defined service area, where each trip must include the Tukwila International Blvd
Link light rail station as either the starting or ending point, and with the same fare
and transfer policies as the southeast Seattle service.

Additional information
Learn more about Via to Transit at kingcounty.gov/metro/via-to-transit.

To download the app, search for "Via" in the Apple App or Google Play stores.

To book a trip by phone, and for all other questions about Via to Transit service,
operations or vehicles, call Via at 206-258-7739.

For information about King County Metro Transit services, call 206-553-3000, or
visit Metro’s website.

Thanks for giving Via to Transit a try, and for using Metro’s services.