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County’s Fleet Division among best in nation

The King County Department of Transportation’s Fleet Administration Division has just been named the ninth best fleet operation in North America by Fleet Equipment Magazine. This is a very significant accomplishment considering there are 36,000 public fleets in North America.

The Fleet Division is headed by Windell Mitchell, who manages a $22 million annual budget for fleet services, two maintenance facilities, and the acquisition, maintenance, and disposal of 2,500 cars, trucks, and heavy off-road equipment countywide. The division is also recognized as being one of the greenest fleet operations in the nation, given its large inventory of hybrid vehicles and use of alternative fuels.

The “100 Best Fleets” program recognizes and rewards peak performing fleet operations. The list of criteria for the award is lengthy, and includes documented: performance measurements; technology deployment plans; minimal return repairs for the same piece of equipment; conservation of resources; and individualized staff development plans.

New transit/HOV ramps now open at Eastgate

The long-awaited transit and HOV ramps [external link] on Interstate 90 at Eastgate are now open.

Built by Sound Transit – in partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation, King County and the City of Bellevue – these ramps allow buses and carpools to avoid the notorious back-ups at the freeway exits in the Eastgate and Factoria area. The ramps also provide a direct connection to the Eastgate Park-and-Ride via 142nd Place Southeast, and remove dozens of bus trips from the general-purpose traffic lanes every day.

Most of the bus routes are using the ramps and 142nd Place to access the park-and-ride to board passengers. That includes: Metro routes 225 and 229; ST routes 554, 555 and 556; and most trips on Metro 212. One route – Metro 218 – just stops at the top of the ramp to pick up and drop off passengers waiting at the flyer stop, which is a short walk to the park-and-ride.

Revisions next week for Sea-Tac bus stops

Metro bus service at Sea-Tac International Airport will be revised during the week of Oct. 30 to accommodate construction at the airport.
From the start of transit service on Monday, Oct. 30 until the airport roadway is re-opened sometime during the day on Friday, Nov. 3, Metro and Sound Transit buses will not operate – or stop – at the bus stops adjacent to Sea-Tac Airport.

The transit revisions for next week vary by route. See Metro Online for complete information about revised transit service, bus stops, walking directions, and transferring.

Husky homecoming could be humdinger

photo: UW Huskies It’s homecoming for the University of Washington Huskies this weekend, and they’re hoping for a happy one as the football team hosts the Arizona State Sun Devils in a 4 p.m. kick off at Husky Stadium.

Your ride is free on any Metro bus when you show your Husky game ticket or ticket stub to the bus driver. In addition to regular bus service to and from campus, there is also special shuttle service between the stadium and eight park-and-ride lots: Shoreline; Northgate Transit Center; Houghton; Kingsgate; South Kirkland; Eastgate; South Renton; and Federal Way.

See Metro Online for details on service to the game.

Late-night transit ready to do the time warp

Pacific Standard Time (PST) officially starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, and Metro bus riders should keep that in mind when taking early trips.

On Saturday night, Oct. 28, all Saturday service, including Night Owl trips that leave the Central Business District at 2:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., operate on Daylight Saving Time. If you ride the bus Saturday night, including the 2:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. Owls, wait to set your clocks back until after you are done riding buses for the night.

All trips leaving the bus bases on Sunday morning operate on Pacific Standard Time. If you are planning to ride Sunday morning service, be sure to set your clock back Saturday night.

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Updated: March 07, 2007

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