Daily commuter better served by bus

What is the big incentive to take the Sounder train? For myself, at least, it takes just as long as riding the Sound Transit bus Route 513 (59 minutes), unless there is horrible traffic – which I truly don’t encounter that often. I am one of those who work 8 to 5, so the Sounder’s 7:54 a.m. arrival time in Seattle and the 5:15 p.m. departure time do not work for me. My office is on Capitol Hill, a fair distance from King Street Station. It’s impossible for me to get from King Street Station to Capitol Hill in less than six minutes in the mornings, and equally impossible to get from my Capitol Hill office down to King Street Station in less than 15 minutes in the evening.

Why waste an extra dollar to ride a train that takes just as long as the bus? So, it has a restroom – big deal. I always make sure to use “the facilities” before I board the bus. For both my morning and evening commute, unless there is horrendous traffic, I arrive at my destination in 59 minutes. Same time as the train, for a dollar less each way. I sleep on the bus. I read on the bus. I never have to stand, because I get on early enough before the freeway that there are still seats available. I know that some people do have to stand, and this is an irritation, standing for an hour or longer.

I don’t see myself ever riding the Sounder, unless they drop the price to equal the price of what it costs to ride the bus, and offer me a train that will get me to work on time in the mornings and leave late enough at night that I can actually catch it.

Everett

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