Ride Free Area - Public Engagement Report

401. Ending the ride-free area downtown will bring hardship on those who cannot afford the fare. I also think the downtown businesses will feel it economically. Having the option of a ride-free area is draw for shoppers and those who might have opted for downtown may choose the malls instead. I have used Metro for nearly 40 years and have always found it easy and convenient; I worked at Metro for 35 years and was fortunate to know many good people there. However, eliminating of many bus stops downtown and ending the ride-free area make me think that the future may mean that public transportation will only be for those with jobs and the healthy. Sincerely, Lynn Wright-von Scheele 402. Hi, Please reconsider completely eliminating the Ride Free Area in downtown Seattle. Please consider keeping it during the middle of the day for diners. Its elimination would have a big and negative impact on my life. I am on a small income. I frequently use it for shopping, using the library, paying utility bills, and dining. Without it I wouldn't be able to afford to do that downtown, and would probably wouldn't go out as often and would shift my shopping and dining to the malls. Thanks you, Mr. Beaton Brown 403. It's about time!! Minneapolis has had a paid downtown zone for years (was "The Dime Zone", now the "50 Cent Zone". You do too much for free, and people expect more, then you fail. (Just for the reord, I stopped using Metro almost 3 years ago. The service in my area is crap. It went from great to crap in less than a year. Never fixing any of the issues, just pushing up the arrival time for the bus, which had a dominoe effect on getting where I needed to go on time. I know this is all about the almighty dollar, not really about fixing anything, but existing...) Welcome to the 21st Century!

404. I work in the Washington Mutual Tower and due to the convenience of the Ride Free Area, particularly for the bus tunnel, choose to run many personal errands and complete various personal business transactions during my work day, in my case particularly at businesses near the Westlake Station and the International District Station and particularly during inclement weather. If I must pay to ride within the present Ride Free Area, it's unlikely that I would use the bus for those errands and transactions and so would likely shift toward patronizing businesses nearer my home instead of near my work. My thought is that this would be true for many downtown workers, decreasing revenue for downtown businesses and also decreasing the pleasure of exploring downtown for workers.

405. For riders who get on a bus in DT Seattle that travels through 2-zones (DT Seattle to Shoreline), but exit the bus before 145th (so ride the bus only 1 zone), how does the rider ensure that their Orca card is only charged for a 1 zone trip, and not a 2 zone trip?

406. Let me use either door to exit! Buses are too long! Thank you 407. With budget shortfalls, it is understandable that KC Metro wishes to eliminate the Ride Free Area.

However, the service that public Metro provides in the downtown core of Seattle has ridership rates that far exceed those in the vast majority of other areas. While this is a revenue source that can be tapped, it should be greatly noted of the amount of pedestrians that utilize the Ride Free Area to commute between areas in Downtown Seattle, and thereby prevents the unnecessary commutes of thousands each day in cars that would have clogged downtown streets. As a rider, and also as someone who wishes to not see an infiltration of cars into downtown Seattle streets, I would propose scaling down the Ride Free Area, or at a worst case scenario, keep the Metro Tunnel a fare-exempt passage. Most riders in the Metro Tunnel utilize it for short trips within downtown; forcing riders to pay for short trips would greatly reduce the ridership and usage of the tunnel, as well as cause delays