RapidRide G Line: A new bus route connecting riders to mass transit
Apr 10, 2024, 10:57 AM | Updated: 2:20 pm
SDOT workers paving the intersection at Ninth Avenue and Spring Street ahead of launch of RapidRide G line (Photo courtesy of SDOT)
(Photo courtesy of SDOT)
The RapidRide G line will run from downtown Seattle to Madison Valley.
King County Metro’s (KCM) Al Sanders said the Rapid-G will kick off shortly after the Lynwood extension is done in early September.
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“RapidRide G line will be traveling from the Seattle Waterfront,” Sanders said. “It will go along Madison Street, and it will serve Capitol Hill, the Central District, First Hill and the Madison Valley neighborhoods.”
The RapidRide will connect passengers to four modes of mass transit: Light Rail, Washington State Ferries, Street Car and King County Water Taxi.
“It will provide access to north and south for a number of Metro routes along its path,” Sanders said.
Sanders told KIRO Newsradio the community can benefit from the line because it will operate 23 hours a day.
“And it will run every six minutes. Monday through Saturday, through most of the day,” Sanders said. “It will extend to 15 minutes late at night, but it will run every six minutes throughout the day. This is a service in which, quite honestly, you haven’t missed the bus. You’re just early for the next one.”
The G Line will also feature larger buses.
“There are going to be some center boarding platforms on Madison, in which people will be able to board off of what would be considered the left side … the driver’s side,” Sanders said. “There’ll be two doors on the driver’s side and there’ll be three doors on the regular curbside to help keep things moving.”
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We know most transit agencies throughout the region suffer from a driver shortage. We had to ask KCM if it’s prepared for the demand, he said, “Mickey, we have the operators we need to have rapid ride move. We are prepared, and we’re ready to go.” Sanders said, “When does it launch, it will launch in the fall. The Lynwood link starts in August, and we want to coordinate that service at the start of our rapid ride G line as well as the expanded service.”
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