Time is running out to ride the Seattle streetcar for free
Feb 8, 2016, 10:02 PM | Updated: May 7, 2016, 10:04 pm
The new First Hill Seattle streetcar connecting Capitol Hill and Pioneer Square is almost ready to officially start a normal schedule. After Feb. 15, riders will have to pay the full fare to board one of the trolleys.
Related: First Hill streetcar offers free rides for initial runs
The official opening celebration for the new 2.5-mile streetcar line is slated from between 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 12, at the intersection of 8th Avenue and King Street. It will cost riders $2.25 to hop on following the President’s Day holiday, Tuesday, Feb. 16.
So will Seattleites stop using the streetcar now that free rides are going away?
“Not necessarily. Some who are riding now because it is free may not continue to do so when they have to pay a fare,” said Rick Sheridan, with the Seattle Department of Transportation. “However, we expect more people to use the line going forward, even when they have to pay. It typically takes approximately three months for riders to adjust to, and begin using, a new transit line like the First Hill Streetcar.”
The free rides aren’t entirely gone. This summer, SDOT plans to offer free First Hill streetcar rides to certain events, such as Pioneer Square’s First Thursday Art Walk, Dragon Fest and the Capitol Hill Block Party.
So save up your quarters, and dollar bills. The $2.25 fare is coming. A fare is good for two hours, and if riders use their Orca cards to pay, the fare can transfer to King County Metro buses.
For roughly the price of a round trip First Hill Streetcar ticket (two fares worth), you could get:
• One McDonald’s breakfast — Whenever you want, you can get breakfast all day ya’ll! An Egg McMuffin Meal is around $4 (plus tax).
• One smoothie from PlayDate Seattle — A not-so-healthy ice cream smoothie (which you can sip guilt-free as you watch your 4-year-old get stuck in a dolphin head) will set you back $4.50 (plus tax).
• Six games of pool at a Seattle bar. *Prices based on Teddy’s Tavern in Roosevelt, which one of our reporters insisted upon doing extensive research to confirm.
• One boozy cupcake — The Cupcake Royale B-52 Cupcake is infused with Seattle Distillery’s Coffee Liqueur. That cupcake costs $4.45 (plus tax).
• One cup of coffee at Starbucks — There are not too many coffee drinks a person can get for under $2.25 these days. But for the classic cup of joe, caffeine addicts can get a tall (12 oz.) for $1.75, and a grande (16 oz.) for $2.10.
What could you get for $2.25 around Seattle? Comment below.
