King County Metro implemented fall service changes this August and raised the adult flat fare to $3, Metro Chief of Staff Deanna Martin told the Regional Transit Committee on Sept. 17. The changes included 900 additional weekly trips and service designed to improve connections to light rail and the new RapidRide G Line.

Metro described the fare change as part of a broader revenue plan supporting service and fleet needs. "Fares increased to $3 for adults on Metro buses, Metro Lehi and the Seattle Streetcar," Martin said. She added that youth fares remain free and that fares for regional reduced-fare permit holders did not change; Orca Lift fares were reduced for two water-taxi routes.

The move marks Metro's first adult flat-fare increase since the agency established a $1 flat fare in 2018, staff said. Martin framed fares as a financial pillar for Metro: "Mobility is a human right and we take a targeted approach to fares by asking customers who can afford to pay to do so while offering reduced or fully subsidized fares to riders with lower incomes, riders with disabilities, youth and seniors." She directed riders with questions about eligibility for reduced fares to reducedfair.kingcounty.gov and Metro's customer line at (206) 553-3000.

Metro also reported ridership gains tied to recent investments. The RapidRide G Line opened its first year with an early 3,500 weekday riders figure and grew to roughly 6,300 average weekday riders by July, a 60% increase from its initial ridership, staff said. Metro reported an August average weekday boarding figure of 275,642, about 10% higher than the prior year.

Committee members asked about implementation and fare enforcement. Martin said Metro has not seen broad systemwide problems tied to the fare increase but is tracking operational issues. "The only one I'm aware of right now is we've been doing some fare enforcement on the Seattle Streetcar and learning from that process that some of the ways to pay off-board the system aren't working," she said. Metro staff said they are working with the City of Seattle on payment-reader problems and that other enforcement and collection processes have not shown major issues to date.

Metro staff emphasized that fare revenue supports vehicle procurement and service operations and that fare changes were discussed during recent King County Council budget deliberations and align with Sound Transit's flat-fare approach in some regional services. The committee did not take a formal vote on the fare level at this meeting; staff reported on the implementation and invited follow-up questions from council offices.

Less-critical details: Metro also announced the start of pre-construction work on the I Line (serving Renton, Kent and Auburn) and a Metro Lehi pilot that began operating in Overlake, funded in part by a grant and local partnerships. The agency encouraged riders with fare-eligibility questions to use the online reduced-fare tool or contact customer service.