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4—Service partnerships

• Total hours to be added through Transit Now: about 130,000 (90,000 funded by Metro plus about 40,000 funded by partners)
• Hours added as of Sept. 2008: 41,000 (27,000 funded by Metro plus 14,000 funded by partners)

Transit Now set aside resources for partnerships with employers and cities. These are expected to leverage millions of dollars in additional funding from other sources to add new service in busy employment centers.

What’s happened so far

The first service partnership with Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center began in fall 2007, adding 63 new trips on existing Metro routes 25 and 75. In March 2008, the King County Council approved partnerships between Metro and nearly 20 local cities and businesses in west, east, and south King County. (For details about the process, visit the partnership proposal pages.)

What happens next

New service funded by four of the new partnerships began in September 2008, bringing the total number of Metro service hours added through Transit Now partnerships to about 41,000 in just 18 months (27,000 paid for by Transit Now dollars and 14,000 by partners). The remaining partnerships will be phased in over the next five years, and by 2013, the partnership agreements will result in four new bus routes, more trips on at least 26 existing routes, and traffic improvements on city streets that will improve bus speed and reliability on two RapidRide corridors. The partnership agreements will be supporting about 130,000 hours of bus service each year.

Partner organizations

The organizations below have committed to partnerships with Metro Transit to improve bus service.some through direct financial contributions for increased service, and some through roadway improvements that enhance transit speed and reliability.

Direct financial service partners

• City of Auburn
• City of Bellevue
• Children’s Hospital
• Harborview Medical Center
• City of Issaquah
• City of Kent
• Microsoft Corporation
• Pierce Transit
• Port Blakely Communities
• City of Redmond
• City of Renton
• City of Sammamish
• City of Seattle
• Swedish Medical Center
• Talus Residential Association
• Timber Ridge at Talus
• Virginia Mason Medical Center

Speed and reliability partners

• City of Bellevue
• City of Redmond
• City of Seattle

Last update: October 29, 2008