Sound Transit Express fare changes effective June 1

ST has no official stops in Shoreline, but the Edmonds stop and the Seattle stop at 145th are close enough that residents are driving to them. They may not be driving to Edmonds now, as the inter-county rate has just been raised to $3.00.  The Community Transit Swift Bus is an option for some.

The first phase of Sound Transit's fare changes for its ST Express bus service will take place on Tuesday, June 1.  Under the new structure, 2010 ST Express fares will be as follows:

Beginning June 1, 2010	One-zone	Two-zone	Inter-county
Adult	$2.00	$2.50	$3.00
Youth	$1.00	$1.75	$2.50
Senior/Disabled	$0.75	$1.25	$1.50

Their rationale
The changes being implemented on Tuesday are the first set of fare increases approved by the Sound Transit Board in April responding to higher operating costs, simplifying the ST Express and Link light rail fare structures, and more closely aligning Sound Transit fares with other local transit agencies. These changes will also help Sound Transit recoup a greater share of operating costs from fares.

More changes to come in 2011

A second set of changes for ST Express and Link light rail fares will take place in June of 2011 to eliminate zone-based fares on ST Express bus routes. With that change, adult bus fares will be $2.50 for in-county service and $3.50 for inter-county service.

ST Express bus fares have increased only once, in 2005, during the 11 years the service has operated.