text: Looking ahead to future traffic constraints around the region, King County Metro continues to find ways to keep people moving. Starting Feb. 5, Metro's Community Ride and Community Van services will serve residents in Lake Forest Park and Shoreline. These new services provide community members with both an on-demand evening option and a reservation-based, group trip option for trips at other times of day.
  The Community Ride service, which first launched in Black Diamond-Enumclaw in March 2017, travels within a specified area instead of traveling along a fixed route with a set schedule. In December 2018, Normandy Park Community Ride launched, serving riders in all of Normandy Park and portions of Burien, Des Moines and SeaTac. Both of these services require phone reservations at least two hours in advance.
  Shoreline-Lake Forest Park's service differs from these existing Community Ride services in that it is app-enabled and on demand. Advanced reservations are not required, nor available.
  The new service will operate in the evenings only and allow residents to easily connect to local points of interest as well as transportation hubs. In 2014, Shoreline's bus route 331 ceased its evening operation due to low ridership at the time. Community Ride will address the resulting gap in service past 6 p.m.
  How to use Community Ride
  Book trips on-demand using the Community Ride app anywhere throughout the service area. Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5, download the Community Ride app by visiting the App Store (iOS) or the Google Play store (Android) and searching "Community Ride."
  Riders without access to a smartphone or data plan may book rides by phone at 1-855-233-1880.
  Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  The initiation of Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Community Van will complement the area's new Community Ride service in that it can provide group trips 24/7 and is reserved in advance. Group trip requests are made through a local Community Transportation Coordinator. This local, paid representative then finds a volunteer driver to fulfill the trip request and makes the transportation opportunity public to the community at large. The minimum group size is two riders plus a driver.
  In 2017, Metro's Community Connections Program embarked on a project to understand the transportation needs of people who live, work, or go to school in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.
  Input centered on needs for flexible evening service to connect people to locations around the community and easier transportation options for those traveling off the existing fixed-route network. Input also indicated that solutions should be easy to recognize as Metro services, offered at a similar price point to existing services, and maintain availability even as personal schedules change.
  In collaboration with a working group comprised of stakeholders from the City of Shoreline, City of Lake Forest Park and Shoreline Community College, the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Community Ride and Community Van were the chosen solutions. The Community Ride service is offered by King County Metro and operated under contract by Hopelink Transportation. Community Van is also offered by King County Metro, and the Community Transportation Coordinator role will operate under contract by Hopelink Mobility Management.
  Metro Schedules and Map
  Torie Rynning, King County Metro, 206-225-8303
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