The holidays are upon us and that means very different service levels over the next two weeks, including none for some transit agencies. Many regional transit agencies, however, plan to offer fare-free service on New Year’s Eve, following a trend in recent years preceding the pandemic, to lure revelers on to transit and away from cars.
“Whether you’re ringing in the New Year from home with friends and family, or planning a night on the town, we are teaming up across the region to offer free transportation and get everyone home safely this New Year’s Eve,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “This is our way of thanking our riders, and offering those who celebrate late into the New Year a safe alternative to getting behind the wheel.”
Agencies going fare-free include King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, and Seattle Streetcar. Free fares expire at the end of the normal nighttime service period, which is generally around 4:00am.
Here’s our roundup by service operator, service, and day:
| Agency/Service | December 24th | December 25th | December 31st | January 1st |
| King County Metro | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule, except no Water Taxi | Sunday Schedule* | Saturday Schedule, except no Water Taxi |
| Seattle Streetcar | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule | Regular Service | Saturday Schedule |
| Seattle Monorail | Regular Service | No Service | Special Service | Special Service |
| Sound Transit – 1 Line | Sunday Schedule | Sunday Schedule | Extended Sunday Schedule* | Saturday Schedule |
| Sound Transit – T Line | Sunday Schedule | Sunday Schedule | Sunday Service | Sunday Service |
| Sound Transit – Sounder | No Service | No Service | No Service | No Service |
| Sound Transit – ST Express | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule | Extended Sunday Schedule* | Saturday Schedule |
| Community Transit | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule |
| Pierce Transit | Sunday Schedule | Sunday Schedule | Sunday Schedule | Saturday Schedule |
| Everett Transit | Regular Service | No Service | Regular Service | No Service |
| Kitsap Transit | Reduced Service* | No Service | Reduced Service* | No Service |
| Intercity Transit | Regular Service | No Service | Regular Service | No Service |
| Whatcom Transit Authority | Regular Service | No Service | Regular Service | No Service |
| Skagit Transit | Regular Service | No Service | Regular Service | No Service |
| Island Transit | Regular Service | No Service | Regular Service | No Service |
As noted, Sound Transit will have extended Sunday schedule service on New Year’s Eve. The additions to service will be as follow:
| Route | Service Extension |
| 1 Line | Service will run about every 15 minutes with last trips departing from Angle Lake at 1:37am and Northgate at 1:46am. |
| 522 | An extra trip will be provided with the final one departing from Roosevelt Station at 12:25am. |
| 545 | An extra trip will be provided with the final one departing from 6th Avenue S and S Royal Brougham Way at 12:15am. |
| 550 | An extra trip will be provided with the final one departing from Union Street and 5th Avenue at 12:25am. |
| 554 | An extra trip will be provided with the final one departing from 6th Avenue and Blanchard Street at 12:15am. |
| 594 | Extra trips will be added in both directions. From Lakewood, these will depart at 10:15pm, 10:45pm, and 11:15pm. From Seattle, these will depart at 12:12am, 12:42am, and 1:12am. |
Other special service notes worth mentioning include the follow:
- Metro is generally running a Sunday service on New Year’s Eve, but Via to Transit will be extended until 2:00am.
- The Seattle Monorail will be operating special service on December 31st and January 1st. For New Year’s Eve, the last train from Westlake Station to Seattle Center will depart at 10:30pm. Service will then resume from Seattle Center to Westlake Station at 12:20 to shuttle riders back downtown until 1:00am. On New Year’s Day, service will run from 10:00am to 11:00am to provide game day service.
- Kistap Transit will end service at 5:00pm on December 24th and otherwise operate a partially reduced service on December 31st. Kitsap Fast Ferries will run on a normal weekday schedule while the Port Orchard ferry will run on a Sunday schedule and buses and ACCESS service see reduced service levels (refer to schedules).
Happy holidays, mask up, and vax up!
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.