Kirkland bus routes (Seattle, Vancouver, Redmond: insurance, home, transfer)
Seattle areaSeattle and King County Suburbs
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I recently moved to Kirkland and need to start taking the bus to work. I found the bus route I need to take. I have never taken the bus before so I'm extremely confused about the whole process. I have a couple of questions after visiting the Seattle Metro website and I hope i can get some guidance from experienced riders.
When looking at Google maps, it shows there are stops right in front of my work. However, I don't see any busstop signs. No benches. Nothing. So do buses drop off and pick up in locations that aren't even marked? How do people know where to wait for the bus if there is no sign? And how do the know when to get off? Does the bus stop when you ask?
Also, I'm seeing the fare is $2 and seen other fares saying it's $2.25. So which is it? I believe i am only.going to be in one zone. It's a 3 mile ride.
Fares on some buses are dependent on whether you are riding during rush hour or not. If you're going into Seattle, you'll pay a higher fare. If you're staying on the Eastside, you'll pay the 1 zone fare.
There's always a sign at bus stops, but not always a bench. The sign will indicate which routes stop there, and often will post the timing of those routes. Google maps isn't always accurate for the bus stops, you might have to look around the corner or down the street a little for the stop.
Also, get an Orca card. This is a pass that you put money on so you don't have to have exact change when you ride the bus. Otherwise, you have to always have dollars and quarters with you. The drivers won't offer change.
When you want to get off, you pull the cord that's above the windows of the bus.
The first time you ride, you can always ask the driver for assistance. Tell him where you are getting off, and he'll warn you when that stop is coming up. He'll also tell you where the bus will pick you up on the way back (sometimes the other side of the street, or sometimes a few blocks away).
The bus will only stop at marked areas or bus stops. There's a bus stop sign on the side of the road, some may have a bench and some don't, but the sign is there, it's a blue colored sign. I believe the fare is $2.25 on the East side and $2.75 in Seattle, not sure though, they have the price written right next to bus driver as you get into the bus, just look at it or find that out by visiting their website. If you go from King county to Snohomish county, then it's $3.00 because it's two different counties. There are two companies...One is the metro which gives you a transfer that you can use to tranfer to another metro bus without having to pay again. The swift company does not accept bus transfers and you have to pay everytime you get on the bus.
When i moved there, i used my google maps with my android phone to go to places. It had an arrow on the screen that showed me where i was, and it moved as i walked. So all i had to do was to look at the map and see where the bus stop was, then walk towards it and look at the screen to see if i was walking in the right direction. The phone helped me a lot.
My advise to you is to buy a car. Living without a car sucks...Especially if you live in the suburbs. I just hated it!! The worst 2 months of my life! And the bus fare is not really cheap, if you buy a gas efficient car it might be cheaper than taking the bus.
My advise to you is to buy a car. Living without a car sucks...Especially if you live in the suburbs. I just hated it!! The worst 2 months of my life! And the bus fare is not really cheap, if you buy a gas efficient car it might be cheaper than taking the bus.
As a car owner gas is the least of your worries. You pay depreciation, insurance and parking even before you've moved the car only 1 yard...a monthly Orca Card will cost you around $75, a car is way more expensive than that...convenience and personal preference is another matter of course...
If you've got a smartphone I'd also strongly recommend to install the One Bus Away application. It's free and shows you all the bus stops with real-time arrival and departure times on google-maps. It's an invaluable tool if you're moving by bus in this area...you can also use it on the web at onebusaway.org
As a car owner gas is the least of your worries. You pay depreciation, insurance and parking even before you've moved the car only 1 yard...a monthly Orca Card will cost you around $75, a car is way more expensive than that...convenience and personal preference is another matter of course...
If you've got a smartphone I'd also strongly recommend to install the One Bus Away application. It's free and shows you all the bus stops with real-time arrival and departure times on google-maps. It's an invaluable tool if you're moving by bus in this area...you can also use it on the web at onebusaway.org
Just $75 for a monthly Orca Card?? You mean it's a flat rate?? You can go anywhere with that price?? Depending on where you're going, you're going to have to take 2+ buses and that's going to add up at the end of month. It will cost way more than $75 unless you don't have to go far. Let's just say i live in Redmond and i want to go shopping at Alderwood mall? It's going to cost me an arm and a leg! What if i live in Redmond and want to go to Alki beach or Mulkilteo beach? What if i want to go snowboarding? I just can't go far. I can't out at night, no bus service after 10:00 in most places, then i'll have to take a cab home and that will cost me a lot of money. The worst thing is buying groceries, carrying all those heavy bags by myself lol Even if i use the bus, it's always nice to have a car to go out on a Sunday or go grocery shopping. That's why i'm looking to buy a car.
If you work close to your home, then taking the bus is the best option. I just believe a car gives you freedom, saves you time, and for me time is money. I don't like to get stuck in one place or take 2-3 hours to get to where i want to go. A bus is a very good option if you just want to stay in your neighborhood.
Just $75 for a monthly Orca Card?? You mean it's a flat rate?? You can go anywhere with that price?? Depending on where you're going, you're going to have to take 2+ buses and that's going to add up at the end of month. It will cost way more than $75 unless you don't have to go far. Let's just say i live in Redmond and i want to go shopping at Alderwood mall? It's going to cost me an arm and a leg! What if i live in Redmond and want to go to Alki beach or Mulkilteo beach? What if i want to go snowboarding? I just can't go far. I can't out at night, no bus service after 10:00 in most places, then i'll have to take a cab home and that will cost me a lot of money. The worst thing is buying groceries, carrying all those heavy bags by myself lol Even if i use the bus, it's always nice to have a car to go out on a Sunday or go grocery shopping. That's why i'm looking to buy a car.
If you work close to your home, then taking the bus is the best option. I just believe a car gives you freedom, saves you time, and for me time is money. I don't like to get stuck in one place or take 2-3 hours to get to where i want to go. A bus is a very good option if you just want to stay in your neighborhood.
I'll try the bus away application!! Thanks.
Yes, the ORCA card can be a flat rate per month for unlimited rides, or you can preload a certain amount of money and the balance can be deducted after each ride. If you're almost always going to take two dollar rides and do it everyday, you can load a monthly pass onto your ORCA card for 72 dollars( unless it's been raised) for unlimited rides. If you do it that way, the passes expire at the end of the month, so don't buy a November pass on the 24th, since it'll only be good for a week.
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm learning. I actually have a car. And have been using it to go to work, while my wife has been walking to work since we live so close. But we're moving further away from her work now and a bit closer to mine. So I figured she should have the car now. And ill take the bus. Work is only about 3 miles away. Not that far but just a bit further than i care to walk. Especially over the freeway overpass. Thougt about getting a bike too but that would be a huge lifestyle change that may take some time to get used to. Who knows, maybe we'll end up getting another car in the end. But i really dont want to get another. Thought id try public transit first. Wish we had a subway or someting like the Vancouver Skytrain! Id never drive again.
Oh, yeah i just got a droid x. So i found that one bus away app last night. So im way ahead of ya! =) it should come in handy.
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm learning. I actually have a car. And have been using it to go to work, while my wife has been walking to work since we live so close. But we're moving further away from her work now and a bit closer to mine. So I figured she should have the car now. And ill take the bus. Work is only about 3 miles away. Not that far but just a bit further than i care to walk. Especially over the freeway overpass. Thougt about getting a bike too but that would be a huge lifestyle change that may take some time to get used to. Who knows, maybe we'll end up getting another car in the end. But i really dont want to get another. Thought id try public transit first. Wish we had a subway or someting like the Vancouver Skytrain! Id never drive again.
Oh, yeah i just got a droid x. So i found that one bus away app last night. So im way ahead of ya! =) it should come in handy.
Well, the buses tend to have a bike rack... so if you get tired of riding a bike, just hop on a bus!
Just $75 for a monthly Orca Card?? You mean it's a flat rate??
Yeah, I got one of those, fortunately it's even paid for by my employers but if you use a bus on a daily basis, it's definitely worth getting one, even if you have to pay for it yourself...
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