So you happen to not own a car due to student loans from that private liberal arts university you attended for 4.25 years. Or you just don't have enough gas money. Maybe you're not willing to pay for street parking since free parking is after 8 pm 6 days a week (curse you City of Seattle!) or hell, you're feeling too lazy to walk. I have one thing to say to you: GTFO here! Yes, parking is a pain in the rear and everyone is on a budget but believe it or not, it's easy to get around Seattle besides mooching rides from your friends. Let's go over popular transportation options:
King County Metro
The City of Seattle has a decent bus system. Trust me, I have used public transportation all around the USA and compared to some cities (*cough*LA*cough*) Seattle has it pretty good.
It may seem confusing to get the system down at first. Now that the city got rid of the Downtown Ride Free Area, its pay as you enter and exit at the back. There are easy ways to plan/track bus routes such as using
Metro's Trip Planner, Google Maps or downloading
onebusaway onto your smartphone.
Bus fare is roughly $2.25 off-peak and $2.50 during peak hours. There are many options on how to pay fare but the most convenient method is purchasing an ORCA card. ORCA stands for One Regional Card for All, which can also be used with the LINK Light rail, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit and Washington State Ferries. How awesome is that!? To purchase an ORCA card, you can go
here. There are also
kiosks all throughout Seattle where you can buy the card in person or if you need to add more money on the card.
LINK Light Rail
I LOVE the Light Rail for one reason: It directly goes to SeaTac Airport so I no longer have to bribe my friends with home-cooked meals for rides to the airport. The city is slowly expanding the route but it currently goes from SeaTac to Westlake Center in Downtown. Fare ranges from $2.00 to $2.75, depending on the length of trip. For more info on the Light Rail click
here.
Cabs & Town Cars
This is a great option if you're planning to stay out late or if you have too much luggage to haul to the airport. Seattle has
Orange and
Yellow Cabs zipping around which are convienient to hail, but there are other (and often, better) choices.
Crown Black Car is one of the few town car services around Seattle. I have used them on several occasions and not only do they give you an estimate of the fare, but their cars smell awesome, play good music and the company provides great customer service.
Another company that has been growing in popularity is
Uber. All you have to do is download their app onto your Android or iphone and request a ride. They offer different choices of rides such as a sedan or a SUV and fares. I personally have yet to try this service but I heard great things about it from friends. Click
here for more information.
Zip Car
There are times when a car is just necessary such as splurging on furniture in Ikea or grocery shopping at H-mart up in Lynnwood. Obviously busing it isn't going to cut it, which is where Zip Car comes in handy. I have used it occasionally and has been helpful for situations that involve far trips. They offer discounts for UW students and staff which is such a nice incentive. Check out
http://www.zipcar.com/ to see how cool it is for yourself.
Now get out there and paint the town red!
