When it comes to longevity with the
Seattle Mariners, only a few players and coaches can beat King County Metro
Transit. For nine full seasons, Metro has been transporting fans to and from
the ballpark with a combination of regular routes and special shuttles.
That tradition continues with the 2004 season. For just $2.50 each way, you
can eliminate driving and parking hassles on your trips to Safeco Field.
The Mariners season opens on Tuesday, April 6, and once again Metro will
have plenty of regularly scheduled service near Safeco Field. Then, beginning
with post-game service for the evening game on Wednesday, April 7, Metro will
also offer special shuttles to 12 outlying park-and-ride lots in the late
evening and on weekends.
There are some changes this year in post-game bus boarding locations at
Safeco, so be sure and do a little pre-game planning before you head out to the
ballpark. Detailed information is available at
Metro Online. Or, view a
video online about the new locations:
Depending on what time the ballgame starts, there are several transit
options:
Afternoon games, Monday-Friday: Travel to and from Safeco using regular
Metro service. There are more than two dozen routes that stop at or near the
ballpark. Metro’s convenient online
Trip Planner allows you to easily research which regular routes will
provide the best connection from your home or office to the ballpark.
For night games with 7:05 p.m. start times, Monday-Friday: Use regular
Metro service to arrive at the ballpark. After the game, there are three
choices: use the regular routes; ride the free shuttle that travels to downtown
Seattle and makes several stops; or ride one of the special shuttles that run
between Safeco and 12 outlying park and ride lots. The shuttles run only
after the weeknight games, and the one-way fare is $2.50.
Weekend games: The special park-and-ride shuttles provide service both
to and from Safeco for $2.50 each way on weekends, except for Mercer
Island which is post-game only. The free post-game downtown shuttle also
operates on weekends. And, there is a variety of regular weekend Metro routes
that serve the ballpark. Once again, the Trip Planner is a great way to figure
out all the options.
When shuttle service is available, the special buses serve the following
park and ride lots: Northgate; the transit center at Northgate; South Kirkland;
South Bellevue; Eastgate and the Eastgate interim lot; Mercer Island (post-game
only on weekends); Federal Way; Star Lake; Kent-Des Moines; Kent; South Renton;
and Tukwila. Parking is free at the lots.
If bus service doesn’t fit your needs, use Metro’s "Event Match" to find a
carpool partner who has tickets to the same game you do. The Rideshare program
offers an alternative way to get to the next Mariners game, concert, festival,
or any of a hundred special events going on in the Puget Sound area by sharing
the ride. Registration is simple, just visit
Rideshare Online.
Detailed information about all of Metro’s Mariner service is available in
Metro Online. Or, call (206) 553-3000
(voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY).
