Crossposted from Metro Matters

King County Metro is taking another step toward a more sustainable future by adding 120 electric vehicles to our vanpool fleet.

The new seven-passenger vehicles will join our nearly two dozen electric compact vanpool cars already on the road. Following this procurement, almost 10 percent of Metro’s vanpool fleet will be electric.

What is a vanpool?

Vanpooling is similar to carpooling. Commuters share the driving and have a common schedule and route to work. With a Metro Vanpool, all costs are included in one low monthly fare. This includes the van, fuel, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance, tolls and even an emergency ride home if you need to leave work early.

Metro boasts one of the largest public vanpool programs in the country. Every workday, almost 1,000 Metro vanpools hit the roads of King County, keeping thousands of single-car trips off our congested roads.

Metro Vanpool’s newest electric vehicle

Our procurement process concluded that the Tesla Model Y is the only currently available, seven-passenger electric vehicle that meets county electrification requirements and federal rideshare vehicle specs for FTA grants. As such, the first procurement will be for the Tesla Model Y. Metro will be exploring and considering all available EV options for future vehicle purchase. 

This procurement and the broader vanpool fleet conversion align with the King County Council’s ordinance to electrify Metro’s rideshare fleet by 2030.

The purchase price of the Model Y is about the same as gasoline-powered minivans. The vehicle also fits within Metro’s cost-recovery vanpool fare model and meets King County electrification, federal grant, and employer transportation benefit eligibility requirements.

Safety features include lane assistance and collision avoidance assistance. Auto-pilot features will not be activated for vanpool vehicles.

Charging and range

This all-wheel-drive subcompact crossover SUV has an expected range of 330 miles when fully charged.

The average home’s 110-volt service can support up to 75 miles a day. About 90 percent of Metro’s current Vanpool round trip mileage is 75 or fewer daily miles.

The Model Y also has access to Tesla’s supercharger network, adding quick-charge capability.

The vanpool of the future

Metro is creating the vanpool of the future. This will include attracting new commuters into the program,  modernizing and electrifying our fleet, and partnering with communities—especially in lower-income neighborhoods—to expand the availability of charging infrastructure.

Metro also works with employers seeking to expand their employee transit benefits to cover vanpool commutes.

Learn more at kingcounty.gov/metro/vanpool

Crossposted from KC Emergency News

If your home or business was damaged between Nov. 17 – 25 due to the bomb cyclone, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, or mudslides, you may qualify for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience low-interest loan. These loans cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance or other sources. Proceeds from insurance coverage on home or property may be deducted from the eligible loan amount. Interest on the loan does not begin to accrue nor do the repayments start until 12 months after receiving the initial payment. Applicants can apply online or receive face-to-face application assistance by visiting one of two SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers, opening Monday, Jan. 6.

Center locations are in Renton and Bellevue: King County Elections, 919 SW Grady Way, Suite 100, Renton and Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave. NE, Bellevue in Room 5 on the 2nd floor. The hours for the King County Elections center are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while the Bellevue Library center will be open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Information you may need when you apply for the loan includes the name and address which suffered damages, contact information for all applicants or owners, Social Security numbers for all applicants, all insurance policy information including the Agent or Carrier contact information and claims filed, and lease agreement information for renters.

Residents, businesses, or private nonprofits with damages can get additional disaster assistance information and apply directly online at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Cross-posted from the Captains Blog

In 2009:

• Barack Obama made history.
• Captain Sully landed on the Hudson.
• “Slumdog Millionaire” won eight Oscars.
• Matt Hasselbeck was under center for the Seahawks.
• Ken Griffey, Jr. returned to the Mariners.
• And King County started sailing the Salish Sea!

This year marks the 15th anniversary of King County providing passenger-only service to the residents of Vashon Island and the beginning of the King County Water Taxi. “The water taxi is a vital part of our regional transit system,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “The enthusiastic response to regular midday service for both West Seattle and Vashon is no surprise. Here’s to many more years of smooth sailings and happy Water Taxi passengers.” Read more.