Holiday travel? Metro will help you get there
Crossposted from Metro Matters The holidays are coming! Whether you are going to holiday events, shopping or celebrating with friends and family, it’s a great time to explore your transit options. We have some schedule adjustments to bus, water taxi and other services during the upcoming holidays and sharing them here to help you more easily make travel plans. Tips for holiday travel How do I pay my fare? Tap your ORCA card, show your Transit Go Ticket or tap your Android Google Pay app. Insert correct amount of cash into the farebox. Link tickets… Read More
Keep food poisoning off the menu this holiday season
Crossposted from Public Health Insider It’s the holiday season, and that means FOOD! Whether you’re hosting a big group or bringing your famous side dish to a gathering, you want to make sure your food is both delicious and safe. While anyone can get a foodborne illness, and symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting are never pleasant, foodborne illnesses are most dangerous for children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Read more.
Honoring Native American Heritage Month
Crossposted from Metro Matters Each November, Native American Heritage Month invites us to honor the history, cultures, and enduring contributions of Native peoples throughout our region and across the nation. At Metro, this is also a time to reflect on how our work connects to the values of stewardship, respect, and community—values long upheld by the Indigenous peoples of this land. We acknowledge that Metro operates on the ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Tulalip, Suquamish, Coast Salish Tribes, and the Duwamish people. These communities have cared for the land and… Read More
Big day for small runway: 14L/32R reopens after rehabilitation project
Crossposted from the DES Express Before dawn on Oct. 30, promptly at 7 a.m., Runway 14L/32R at King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) officially reopened for flight operations. Moments later, BETA Technologies’ ALIA electric aircraft quietly took off from the runway (watch a video of the flight), the first plane to do so. Later, airport tenants, guests and employees celebrated the reopening of the small utility runway at a brief gathering over the lunch hour outside the terminal, with Mount Rainier in the background. “This is celebrating the history of Boeing Field,”… Read More
Emergency exercise tests communications ahead of World Cup
Crossposted from the DES Express For the first time, Emergency Management held a drill called a Joint Information Center/Joint Information System exercise involving other local governments and non-profit organizations in addition to the usual King County agencies. A total of 33 people participated, with 13 of those in person and 20 online. They hailed from as far south as Clark County and as far north as Vancouver, Canada. Another eight people were involved in exercise coordination. “This exercise was a great opportunity to have our partners test the communications plans and procedures… Read More
Executive Braddock announces upgrades to Metro’s Access paratransit service, improving freedom and flexibility for riders with disabilities living in rural communities
Crossposted from Metro Matters Recently, King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Metro announced an improved customer experience for Access paratransit service customers and seniors, especially in rural communities, delivering on one of the key priorities in the Executive’s 200-Day Plan. People with disabilities who live in rural communities and use Access will have an easier time making reservations and enjoy improved on-time arrivals. There are also pilot programs that range from grocery delivery to same-day reservations. These services – alongside new in-person support for Access paratransit, Community Van, and Hopelink – will offer… Read More
As surging utility costs make housing less affordable throughout King County, Executive Braddock brings together partners to develop a more sustainable future
With household costs for utilities projected to rapidly increase each year for the next decade – making housing even less affordable than it is today – King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Sound Cities Association on Friday brought together more than 150 elected officials, regulators, and public works managers from throughout King County to develop a path that both protects the natural environment and reduces the burden on homeowners. A typical single-family household in King County currently pays an estimated $400 per month for utilities, including natural gas, electricity, solid waste, stormwater, sewer, and… Read More
Support Hurricane Melissa relief through the Annual Giving Drive
In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, a devastating Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica and parts of the Caribbean, thousands of families are facing unimaginable loss. Homes, hospitals, and infrastructure have been destroyed. Many communities still remain without power, clean water, or access to basic necessities. Through the Annual Giving Drive, we have an opportunity to come together and support the nonprofits working tirelessly on the ground to provide emergency aid and long-term recovery. Here are the Employee Giving Program (EGP) nonprofits that are responding to Hurricane Melissa relief efforts. Read more. To see the full list and discover more, search online or review… Read More
Recognizing the service of Metro veterans
Crossposted from Metro Matters This Veterans Day, we recognized and thanked all of Metro’s military service members, past and present, for their service and sacrifice. Your continued commitment to public service strengthens our community. On Monday, Nov. 10, we held a ceremonial flag raising at one of our facilities honor the courage and dedication of veterans and their families. In addition to this ceremony, we’re also continuing our annual tradition of highlighting Metro colleagues who have served in the military. This year, I’m pleased to share the stories of four veterans —Nicholas Warren, Ruy… Read More
It’s the journey and the destination
Crossposted from Metro Matters While I lead transit communications and marketing in Washington state, my earliest public transportation journeys were nearly 5,000 miles away in my birthplace of London, England. As a toddler, my paternal grandmother—who exclusively took transit or walked—would take my sister and me on double-decker buses. I’d always ask to go upstairs. But my Granny, to avoid taking two small children up and down a windy staircase on a moving vehicle, creatively claimed that we couldn’t go up there because that’s where the bus driver lives. Read more.
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