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Can you talk transit?
 Every
profession has its own insider lingo. Waitresses order up “Adam and Eve
on a raft.” Journalists “break” a story with an attention-grabbing
“head” and “lede.” And, cops put out an “APB” for a “perp” with a
particular “MO.”
The transit industry is no different. At
King County Metro Transit there
are a variety of terms used as shorthand that describe how the system
operates. Here are just a few:
Access – Metro’s van-operated service for people with
disabilities is called Access. It has no fixed routes or schedule, and
can only operate on the same days, same areas and same time as Metro’s
regular fixed-route service. Access passengers must qualify for service
under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit program
before they can request rides.
APC – The Automatic Passenger Counters (APC) used by Metro are
mats placed on the stairwell steps on 10 percent of the buses. The mats
count the number of passengers getting on and off the bus. While the
buses may move around and get assigned to various routes/runs, the APC
mats are a permanent installation on the bus.
 Artic
– This term refers to the 60-foot articulated buses that have the
bendable joint in the middle that looks like an accordion, allowing them
to turn corners more safely and easily.
Base – A transit base, which sometimes is called a bus barn, is a
facility that operates and maintains the buses. Metro has seven bus
bases: three in downtown Seattle; two in Bellevue; and one each in
Shoreline and Tukwila. Buses and transit operators are assigned to and
work from a specific base.
Boarding/ride/trip – A single passenger getting on a transit
vehicle is referred to as a “boarding.” A single segment ridden on a
single transit vehicle is a “ride.” The passenger’s total journey
between first and last boarding is the “trip.” A single trip may include
multiple boardings and multiple rides.
The Book – The procedures and policy manual handed out to all
drivers, and updated several times a year, is simply known as The Book.
It also includes turn-by-turn descriptions of all Metro routes.
Bus – A rubber-tired transportation vehicle for multiple
passengers is the technical definition of a bus; also called a coach.
CBD – Seattle’s Central Business District (CBD) is roughly from
Elliott Bay to 9th Avenue between Broad Street on the north and Jackson
Street on the south. It is Metro’s busiest service area.
Comfort station – A specific restroom along a route that can be
used by bus drivers is called a comfort station.
Contraflow – A bus lane where buses operate in the opposite
direction from other traffic on what would otherwise be a one-way street
is called a contraflow lane. An example in downtown Seattle is Ninth
Avenue between Olive Way and Stewart Street.
DART – Metro's Dial-a-Ride Transit (DART) offers variable routing
in some areas within King County. It uses vans that can go off regular
routes to pick up and drop off passengers within a defined service area.
It operates on a fixed schedule, but one that has more flexibility than
regular routes.
Deadhead – The time spent driving to and from the base or between
terminals on different routes is called deadheading.
E3 Busway – In the mid 1990s, the state built a transit-only
roadway along Fifth Avenue South between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane
Street to help move buses more quickly between downtown Seattle and
Interstate 5. There were multiple alternatives and options on the
drawing board, and the one finally selected was Alternative E, Option 3.
The “E3” designation stuck. Currently, the busway is being retrofitted
for use by both buses and light rail. Sometimes you may hear it called
the “SODO Busway.”
First liner – A “first line supervisor” is an experienced transit
employee who is the first to respond to problems out in the field. This
can range from helping a trolley driver reattach poles to the overhead
wire; assisting passengers at bus stops; or securing the scene of an
accident until police arrive. Many first liners make their rounds in
white Metro vans, and are assigned to one of 20 separate geographical
districts in King County. First liners also staff the communications
center, the base operations desk, and run the training program for new
drivers.
FlexPass/U-PASS - The FlexPass is an annual transportation pass
that offers access to bus, commuter rail, vanpool, vanshare, and
emergency ride home services. It is purchased by employers for their
employees, and services are tailored to employee needs at that
particular work site. The price of a FlexPass program depends on the
actual level of use of transit and other services among all employees at
a participating worksite. That is why not all FlexPass programs are the
same. At the University of Washington, this program is called the
U-PASS.
Frequency – Frequency is usually expressed as the number of trips
per hour on a single bus route. For example, the Route 7 has a
six-trips-per-hour frequency on weekdays.
Headway – The amount of time between consecutive trips on the
same route in the same direction of travel is known as headway. For
example, the Route 7 has a 10-minute headway on weekdays.
 Hybrids
– The newest buses in Metro’s fleet are hybrid coaches operating on both
diesel and electric (battery) propulsion. There are 213 of these 60-foot
clean-air coaches in the system.
Inbound/outbound – In most cases on routes traveling through
Seattle, the buses are considered inbound when they are headed toward
the city and outbound as they travel away from Seattle. There are some
exceptions.
Layover – Both bus drivers and buses need to take a break, also
known as a layover. The driver needs the layover to take a rest break,
use the restroom, or have a meal. The buses need the break to provide a
time cushion in the schedule. Most layovers occur at the end of a route,
so you may see buses parked on the street or at a transit center for
anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes at various times throughout the day.
Operator – You say “bus driver.” We say “transit operator.”
Park-and-ride - A park-and-ride lot is property provided for
transit customers to be used as a hub where passengers can park their
cars or bicycles and board a bus route, carpool or vanpool. Metro
currently operates 123 park-and-rides with more than 22,000 parking
spaces. Park-and-rides make transit use and ridesharing more convenient,
and reduces the number of single-occupancy vehicles on the road and the
distances they travel.
Passenger load – The number of passengers divided by the number
of seats on the bus is called the passenger load. It is expressed as a
ratio and is measured at different points along the route. Transit
planners are interested in where the maximum loads occur on the route. A
passenger load above 1.0 indicates that sometime in the bus trip at
least one passenger was standing.
Peak service – The peak occurs when Metro has the most buses in
service. This occurs twice a day on weekdays, from 6-9 a.m. and from 3-7
p.m. At the height of the peak, Metro has about 1,150 buses on the road.
 Revenue/platform
hours – The number of hours a bus is operating scheduled trips is
referred to as revenue hours. This does not include deadhead time or
layovers. Platform hours are the total number a bus is on the road
during the day.
Ride Free Area (RFA) – Metro’s Ride Free Area (originally known
as the “Magic Carpet Zone”) extends from the north at Battery Street to
South Jackson Street on the south, and east-to-west from Sixth Avenue to
the waterfront. It applies to almost all routes traveling through
downtown between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. It was introduced in 1973 as a way to
encourage transit use and reduce congestion downtown. It also keeps
buses moving more quickly through the downtown area since passengers can
hop on and off via all doors. The city of Seattle shares the operating
cost with Metro.
Route/run – A route refers to a trip that follows a specific
path. A run is one of those trips that a bus takes. For example the
Route 196 travels between downtown Seattle and the South Federal Way
Park-and-Ride 18 times a day – so there are 18 runs on Route 196.
Shake-up/Service Change – Three times a year – in February, June
and September – Metro updates its routes to improve service and keep up
with the changing needs of transit passengers. This is also a time when
there is a reallocation of buses and some of the transit employees.
Eligible employees can select their location and work hours by seniority
within their job class. Some bus drivers like to pick the same work
assignment every shake-up, while others like variety and move from route
to route.
 Special
service – Metro operates supplemental bus service to special events
open to the general public, like Seahawks football games, the Seattle
Home Show, and Seafair. The extra service is paid for by the
organization hosting the event, and Metro works with those organizations
to determine the specific fare for that particular special service.
Terminal – The end of the bus route where all passengers have to
disembark.
Trolley – Metro is one of the few major transit agencies in the
nation to have an extensive system of electric buses powered by overhead
wiring. Overhead wiring exists in downtown Seattle; the University
District; First, Beacon, and Capitol hills; Queen Anne; Wallingford;
Ballard; and the Rainier Valley.
ULSD – Metro uses ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) in all of
its diesel and hybrid buses.
VanPool/VanShare – When groups of people carpool together in a
publicly owned passenger van, the program is called vanpooling. Metro
offers one of the oldest and largest vanpool programs in the nation. It
provides the van, maintenance, insurance, fuel, tires and training.
Metro also offers the VanShare program to help those who need to make a
connection to or from bus service.
Zone – A zone is more commonly referred to as a bus stop. It is
an on-street location where transit vehicles stop to pick-up and
discharge passengers. It has a sign and basic service information,
sometimes also a shelter with benches.
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