The Seattle Department of Transportation estimates that close to half of the city’s workforce commutes by transit.
KC Metro
1 min to read
The Seattle Department of Transportation estimates that close to half of the city’s workforce commutes by transit.
KC Metro
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $8.1 million in grants to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and King County Metro to improve public transportation in the Seattle area.
FTA is providing $5.9 million through its Passenger Ferry Grant Program to WSDOT-Washington State Ferries to construct a pedestrian connection between the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock and downtown Seattle. In addition, FTA is providing $2.2 million through its Low or No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle Program to help King County Metro modernize its bus fleet.
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The ferry grant, only one of nine nationwide that FTA announced earlier this month, will help Washington State Ferries construct an elevated pedestrian connection between the Seattle Multimodal Terminal and downtown Seattle. Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the U.S., carrying 24.6 million passengers per year.
The Low-No grant for King County Metro will help the agency buy several battery-electric buses to replace diesel-hybrid buses that have exceeded their useful life. The new, more efficient buses will reduce operating costs and support growing ridership, which topped 103 million trips in 2018.
The Seattle Department of Transportation estimates that close to half of the city’s workforce commutes by transit.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
Rolling out in electric yellow and seafoam blue, the first battery-electric buses purchased from GILLIG will begin serving riders in south King County on February 2.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
In this edition, we cover recent appointments and announcements at HDR, MCTS, and more, showcasing the individuals helping to shape the future of transportation.
While their comprehensive analysis of bus stops focused on Massachusetts, the researchers are excited about the generalizability of the findings and application to other locations.
CEO Nat Ford’s address offered a look at highlights from 2025, with a focus on the future and the innovative ways the JTA is shaping mobility in Northeast Florida.
