Journalists’ Reference Guide

Getting Around

Buses
The Greater Seattle region has an extensive transit system for your transportation needs. METRO, Seattle and King County’s bus system, has an extensive network of routes throughout downtown and the city’s suburbs. METRO also has a Ride Free Area downtown (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.), including a 1.3 mile METRO Bus Tunnel that runs underneath downtown Seattle. For more information about routes and rates contact METRO at 1-206-553-3000 or online. Regional public transportation is provided by neighboring counties and their own companies. Pierce Transit provides service to the south with 59 routes that operate on more than 900 miles of city streets, county routes and state highways, SHUTTLE (specialized transportation for people with disabilities), vanpool, ride matching and intercounty express service to Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport and Olympia. Contact Pierce Transit at 1-253-581-8000 or online.

For bus service to the north of King County you can take Community Transit. Community Transit provides both local and commuter routes to and from areas such as Lynnwood, Marysville, Edmonds, Monroe, Mukilteo. Contact Community Transit at 1-425-353-RIDE, 1-800-562-1375 or online.

Service across the Sound provided by Kitsap Transit. For more information on routes and rates contact Kitsap Transit at 1-360-373-2877 or online.

Sound Transit Express buses provide convenient, frequent, two-way service every day to destinations throughout the region with limited stops. 1-206-398-5000 or online. Sound Transit also has commuter rail service between Tacoma and Seattle and between Everett and Seattle.

Note: You must use exact change on all the transit systems.

Taxis
Taxis may be flagged down on the street, but Greater Seattle taxis do not randomly cruise about the cities looking for fares. Telephone
requests are the best way to get a taxi. A taxi will normally arrive about five minutes after you call. Taxis can also be found outside major hotels. There are also taxi stands outside the Westin Hotel (5th Ave) and the Washington State Convention & Trade Center (Pike Street) in downtown Seattle.

AAA Cab, Everett 1-425-423-9999
Far West Cab, Seattle 1-206-622-1717
Yellow Cab, Seattle 1-206-622-6500
Yellow Cab, Tacoma 1-253-472-3303

Rental Cars
Alamo 1-800-327-9633
Avis 1-800-831-2847
Budget 1-800-527-0700
Dollar 1-800-800-4000
Enterprise 1-800-736-8222
Hertz 1-800-654-3131
Thrifty 1-800-847-4389

Ferries
The Washington State Ferry System is the largest in the United States serving eight counties within Washington and the Province of British Columbia in Canada. The system operates 29 ferries with ten routes serving twenty terminals. The ferry running from Seattle to Bainbridge Island offers a spectacular view of Seattle, Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. The large, comfortable ferries are easily accessible. The ferries leave from Colman Dock on Pier 52 along the Seattle waterfront every 40–60 minutes. The Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry is approximately 35 minutes sailing. Another ferry connecting the central sound area is the Edmonds-Kingston. The Edmonds – Kingston ferry has a travel time of approximately 30 minutes and leaves the docks every forty minutes. For your travel needs from Tacoma to Vashon Island, the Pt. Defiance – Tahlequah ferry is available. It is a short fifteen minute ride, and you can catch it every 50 minutes. For more information about ferry service, routes and schedules, please call the Washington State Ferries at 1-206-464-6400 or find them online.

Monorail
The Seattle Center Monorail, the nation’s first full-scale commercial monorail system, provides elevated rail transportation from downtown Seattle to Seattle Center. The Monorail runs every ten minutes. The Seattle Center Monorail operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Airport Shuttle
The Gray Line Airport Express provides transportation to Sea-Tac International Airport from most Seattle hotels. Gray Line buses leave downtown Seattle twice an hour from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 1-206-626-6088 for more information. Super Shuttle provides door-to-door transportation to and from the airport 24 hours a day. The average travel time from downtown Seattle to the airport is twenty minutes; though, this can fluctuate depending on traffic. For more information and reservations, call 1-206-622-1424.

Airlines
Air Canada 1-888-247-2262
Air France 1-800-237-2747
Alaska Airlines 1-800-252-7522
America West 1-800-235-9292
American Airlines 1-800-433-7300
British Airways 1-800-247-9297
Cathay Pacific Air 1-800-233-2742
China Airlines 1-206-224-3541
China Eastern 1-206-343-5582
Continental Airlines 1-800-523-3273
Delta Airlines 1-800-221-1212
EVA Airways 1-206-242-0959
Gulf Air 1-800-553-2824
Hawaiian Airlines 1-800-367-5320
Horizon Airlines 1-800-547-9308
Japan Airlines 1-800-525-3663
Korean Airlines 1-800-438-5000
Mexicana Airlines 1-800-531-7921
Northwest Airlines 1-800-225-2525
Philippines Airlines 1-800-435-9725
Qantas Airways 1-800-227-4500
Scandinavian Airlines 1-800-221-2350
Singapore Airlines 1-800-742-3333
South African Airways 1-800-722-9675
Southwest Airlines 1-800-435-9792
Swiss Air 1-800-221-4750
Thai Airways 1-800-426-5204
United Airlines 1-800-241-6522
US Air 1-800-428-4322