This Saturday is the Husky home opener against Syracuse and there are some significant changes to parking. Construction of the Sound Transit light rail terminal in the parking lot just south of the stadium is forcing new parking restrictions. The E-1 lot just north of the stadium, which has been public parking, is now for Tyee members with parking passes. Non-Tyee members can find parking information here or you can take the bus from Ballard.
“Special Metro Husky Football Service buses pick up passengers along routes from Downtown Seattle, Ballard, and Lake City/Sandpoint. Special service buses begin operating approximately one hour and 30 minutes before kickoff,” the website states. The Ballard bus will pick up passengers near 32nd Ave NW, where the blue dot is. You can see the full-size map here. If you plan on driving, the 45th street viaduct is now reopened.
Take the bus to Husky games from Ballard
I am so glad to see that this is being done. I’ll bet that will be a rockin’ bus ride! As a taxpayer, and someone who doesn’t “do sports,” I totally and completely support this service!
Silver, it’s really just an express version of the #44 bus.
I don’t “do sports” either, but I happened to hop on one of these last year when looking to catch a regular 44. It picked me up at Ballard Ave and stopped maybe one more time in East Ballard before going express to the U-District (where it let passengers off at any stop but wouldn’t pick up any new one).
If memory serves, one could pay the regular fare or show a game ticket, in which case UW would be legally required to subsidize the fare.
Only fast ride on the 44 I’ve ever had! Frankly, there should be express runs all the time!
It blows my mind that there’s no 44 express. Guarantee they would fill every single one of them. It’s ludicrous that it takes 40 mins to get to UW, stopping at just about every block along the way, 24/7.
I’m actually confused – so, there can’t be any special Metro buses to deal with the tousands who go to Mariner’s games throughout the season, but there can be special Metro buses for Husky games?
It appears that the injunction against special-event service has been stayed while the ruling is appealed. So baseball service is back, as is football service for the time being.
The contracting party is generally required to ensure that such a service is revenue-neutral for the transit agency. Usually, this means charging a $5 premium fare and having the sports team pay the remainder.
With Huskies ticket-holders being allowed on for free, the direct payment would have to be much higher (unless UW’s public status has earned them an exception from ensuring revenue-neutrality, which would be highly offensive).
That said, there is nothing in the court ruling to prevent a transit agency from bolstering frequencies on PRE-EXISTING NORMAL ROUTES (local or express) that serve the area in which a major event is occurring. Cities with real transit do this all the time, and the vehicles are so crowded that they are revenue-generators even at the normal fare!
If you show your Husky ticket upon entering, the bus ride is free!