The city's monorail has operated separately from other systems in the region, but now riders can pay fares using the ORCA cards that work for other transit systems in the region.
Ryan Packer reports that ORCA cards, the Seattle-area transit smart card system, can now be used on the Seattle Monorail. "The monorail has long operated virtually on its own outside of the regular transit system, relegating it to more of a tool for tourism than a practical choice for transit riders to and from Uptown and Downtown."
While the monorail fares have increased, riders will now be able to transfer to buses and light rail on other transit systems without paying separate fares. An agreement between the Seattle City Council and the operator of the Seattle Monorail will freeze fares until 2022.
The agreement also requires the operator to make capital investments to improve stations, including better station and platform access and relocation of gates and ticket machines. "Collectively, the improvements could essentially double capacity of the monorail to 6,000 riders per hour per direction," notes Packer.
FULL STORY: Monorail Now Functionally Part of Seattle’s Public Transit System
‘The Power of the Kraken:’ Seattle Monorail Ridership Spikes for Hockey Games
Seattle’s new professional hockey team is drawing legions of enthusiastic fans. Around a quarter of them are taking public transit, such as the city’s often-maligned monorail, to games.
Seattle Monorail Celebrates 60 Years
"There's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car monorail."
East Link Light Rail Plans Provoke Controversy in Seattle Suburb
A proposal to link local and regional buses with the East Link light rail expansion in Mercer Island, already under construction, threatens to boil over into the courtroom.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service