Across King
County Metro has not been able to fully modify all bus stops to be accessible
according to modern day’s requirements.
All of the bus stops in downtown Seattle are fully accessible, but some
bus stops in the suburbs have different levels of accessibility. These differences are marked on bus
stop signs.
Accessible Service Zones
All
bus zones are marked with one of three decals in the lower left corner of the
bus stop sign. The decals indicate the extent to which a bus zone is
accessible:
Fully Accessible Zones
Fully
accessible zones display the International Access Symbol
that depicts a person
seated in a wheelchair and is white on a blue, reflective background. Use the
lift for all persons who request it.
Limited
Space Zones
This white-on-blue decal
indicates the zone has enough room for the lift to deploy but has limited space
at the end of the lift for maneuvering a mobility aid. The zone can likely
accommodate standing customers, but may not have enough room for mobility
aids. Inform the customer
of the limited space. If the customer wants to use the zone, and you see that
there is not enough room for safe boarding or disembarking, place a priority
call to the coordinator.
No Lift
A
white on reflective red decal marks zone where lift use is not
allowed because of
potential lift damage.
(King County Metro, 2012, 104 and 105)
Both drivers
manuals have expectations on how customer can access Metro’s staff, and when
bus drivers should call the main office for information (which was discussed in
the first blog). Riders can call
metro’s service line at 206-335-3000 from 5am to 10pm weekdays and 8 am to 7 pm
on weekends. This line can be used
for trip planning or customer service complaints. If customers are making a complaint a few details that will
help are the four digit bus number on the sides and front window space of the
bus, the time, bus route and direction.
It may be less of a complaint and more of an informational call to let
metro know that your bus stop is not accessible. Metro’s one bus away service helps riders plan for the
estimated arrival time of buses and can be reached at 206-456-0609.
