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Old 09-12-2010, 11:40 PM
 
57 posts, read 112,263 times
Reputation: 38

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I've spent some time searching about the bus system in Seattle, and I've looked at the King County Metro Online site, but I'm still a bit confused. I know I could find this out from people the minute I arrive in Seattle, but I'm curious to know as much about what I need to do to make it before I get there.

I'm planning to not buy a car for a while. Its hard to say exactly how much it really costs to run a car in Seattle, but I'd guess it to be a minimum of $500 a month when you add the costs of gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, parking, etc.

Anyway, on to my questions:

The price of $2 or $2.25 for metro fairs seems to be one for direction. Is that right? So if I have to take a bus to and from work 5 days a week, I'd spend at least $20 a week for that, because its $4 or $4.50 per day, right? If I then need to go grocery shopping or something else, 4 or 5 times a week, then I could be spending upwards to $50 a week or more just for bus fairs. That means I'd be paying something like $200 a month. Would getting off the bus on the way from work to stop at the shop make it cheaper?

I'm married too. Lets say my wife also gets a job and she has the same cost. Now we're looking at something like $400 a month for bus? Wow. We have one child who is almost 3, so that is free, but... if the child was 7 then we'd be paying another 75 cents for them to ride, right?

This doesnt even include things like hoping on a boat to Vancouver or extended traveling!

If I am correct, where is the big savings from using the bus rather than owning your own car. At the best, you might be saving $300 a month, right? Maybe I am underestimating the cost of car ownership. I wasnt including the cost of the car, which was assuming a cash purchase of an older car for say $4000 or so.

I dont see how someone making $10 an hour can make it in Seattle. I'll be earning better than that, but it seems the money isnt going too far now-a-days.

Right now I am a US expat living in the Philippines and I can go about 3 miles to the mall in an Toyota corolla cab with AC for about $1.25 each way. They have something called a Jeepney, which is an open window bus type vehicle that would take me there for about 15 cents. I know Seattle isnt the Philippines; I'm just providing some perspective about why I am a bit thrown off by the cost of using city buses.
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Old 09-12-2010, 11:54 PM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,337,354 times
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Lots of people buy an ORCA card, good on buses. A one zone, peak hour ORCA card is 90 dollars per month for unlimted usage. A number of employers supply free or subsidized passes( ORCA card).
If you were to drive into downtown Seattle, parking costs a lot.
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Old 09-13-2010, 12:06 AM
 
1,632 posts, read 6,842,905 times
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Depending on what your travel needs are, a regional pass (Puget Pass?) might be worthwhile to add to your Orca card.
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Old 09-13-2010, 12:09 AM
 
57 posts, read 112,263 times
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Thanks Ira500, that is the key piece of information I was missing. Of course you would buy that ORCA card, which would seem to save about 50% over paying cash for each trip. I'm not yet clear on the zone boundaries. Let say I'm living in Queen Anne and need to get to Bellevue. Have I just crossed into a 2nd zone?

Lets say that I would periodically (3 or 4 times a month) travel around the area from west Seattle to Redmond, but other than that stay in the area of Queen Anne to the south side of Seattle proper to the University District. Is my core area in the one zone, and would I then be required to pay extra for those occasional trips to Redmond?
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Old 09-13-2010, 12:25 AM
 
9,618 posts, read 27,337,354 times
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Anything within the city of Seattle is one zone, when you cross the city limits you enter the second zone. They sell ORCA cards good for both zones,and if you do cross the zone but only have a one zone card, you're supposed to pay the difference.
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Old 09-13-2010, 06:48 AM
 
9,229 posts, read 8,547,665 times
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If you're planning on using the bus, or any public transit, buy the pass. Most do. They come in monthly or annual increments. Stuff it in a cardholder and attach it to a lanyard, or on your keychain. Don't lose it because they are non-replaceable.
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Old 09-13-2010, 08:42 AM
 
172 posts, read 442,046 times
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Ask your employeer. Alot of companies will pay for a month bus pass. It was great when I worked there I could get downtown and also head into bellevue if I needed to. Sometimes I gave the pass to my wife so that she could get to the movies with the kids.
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Old 09-13-2010, 08:55 AM
 
Location: NYC
7,301 posts, read 13,513,021 times
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Keep in mind you get a two-hour free transfer. You can board all the buses you'd like in the two hours following your initial ORCA swipe. Therefore it can be possible to get lots of shopping and errands done on one fare.
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Old 09-13-2010, 09:36 AM
 
542 posts, read 1,478,803 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown View Post
Keep in mind you get a two-hour free transfer. You can board all the buses you'd like in the two hours following your initial ORCA swipe. Therefore it can be possible to get lots of shopping and errands done on one fare.

You don't get or need a transfer with an unlimited ORCA card because it is unlimited anyway(I guess unless you were going 2 zones and didn't want to pay the difference coming back).

If you are paying out of pocket, though, this is true, and some drivers are sometimes generous and give you 3 hours or let you slide when it's a little past the 2 hour mark.

Also, btw, in the downtown Seattle limits, the bus system is free from 6 am to 7 pm daily. Here is the map that shows where that is:

Map of Downtown Seattle Ride Free Area
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Old 09-13-2010, 02:59 PM
 
217 posts, read 561,643 times
Reputation: 142
Quote:
Originally Posted by LookinForMayberry View Post
Stuff it in a cardholder and attach it to a lanyard, or on your keychain. Don't lose it because they are non-replaceable.
Actually, the ORCA card can be replaced pretty easy.
You have to make sure you register your card before you lose it.
Alot of people are paranoid they can be "followed" by their card swipes and don't bother to register.
ORCA: ORCA Smart Card Facts
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