Riding the Bus or Train

The U-PASS is your ticket to ride Metro Transit, Community Transit and Sound Transit bus service- anytime, anywhere. The U-PASS also covers full fare on the Sounder commuter train, providing service between Tacoma and downtown Seattle and between Everett and downtown Seattle. Take it to downtown Seattle and jump on a bus for a quick ride to the UW. Spend your commute time reading or relaxing rather than grinding your teeth in traffic!

Sounder Commuter Train
Selecting a route
MetroTrip Planner
Bus routes and schedules
How to use the bus
Bikes on buses
Services for people with disabilities
Free bus tickets for new employees
Night Stop
Bus Tickets for visitors, guests and off-campus employees

Selecting a route

By bus: Almost 50 routes from all over King, Snohomish and Pierce counties serve the University District: with more than 30 buses coming right to campus. Chances are good that there is a bus route from your neighborhood or nearby Park & Ride lot, especially with Sound Transit's Express bus service expanding area routes.

By train: Sounder commuter trains are great for those traveling to Seattle from Tacoma or from Everett. Trains stop in downtown Seattle, with easy access to several bus routes to campus. Your U-PASS is valid for full coverage of the Sounder fare.

>> View Full List of Bus Routes and Schedules

How to use the bus

After you have your U-PASS it's easy to ride the bus. Just show your U-PASS to the driver for a free ride; pay as you leave if the bus originated in downtown, pay as you enter if the bus did not originate in downtown.

There are several ways to learn more about using Metro Transit, Community Transit or Sound Transit:

• Pick up paper bus route timetables at a Campus Commuter Center.
• Call BUS-TIME at 206.287.8463 if you know your route number and need to find out when the next bus is coming.
• Check out mybus.org to see if your bus is running on schedule.
• Call Metro Transit at 206.553.3000; Community Transit at 800.562.1375 from Seattle or 425.353.RIDE within Snohomish County; or Sound Transit at 888.889.6368 for assistance.
• Plan your trip on-line with Metro's Trip Planner. Trip Planner covers bus service in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Bikes on buses

You, your bike, the bus and a U-PASS are a great combination! Metro Transit, Community Transit and Sound Transit have easy-to-use bike racks on all their buses so you can bike one way, or just part of the way, and ride the bus for the rest of your journey.

Services for people with disabilities

All buses are lift-equipped to accommodate passengers who are in wheelchairs or unable to climb steps. Timetables indicate which buses can accomodate wheelchairs. For more information about other transportation services for persons with disabilities, contact your transit agency:

Metro Transit Customer Service at 206.553.3060
or 800.542.7876 (TTY 206.684.1739)

Community Transit at 800.562.1375
(TTY 425.778.2188)

Sound Transit at 888.889.6368
(TTY/TTD 888.713.6030)

Free bus tickets for new employees

Having a UW Husky Card (official University ID card) is necessary before getting a U-PASS, but sometimes it takes awhile for new faculty or staff members to be issued one. We know you don't want to bother with the expense and hassle of trying to park on campus, so take the bus on us. New employees need to bring their Employee ID number with them to a Commuter Services office to be eligible to receive up to 10 free bus tickets good for Metro Transit, Community Transit or Sound Transit buses. Each ticket allows you a free, one-way trip. Keep in mind that these tickets are only for your use as a new employee and are not transferable.

As soon as you get your Husky Card, go back to Commuter Services and buy your U-PASS. With your U-PASS you may ride Metro, Community Transit and Sound Transit buses anytime, anywhere and take the Sounder Commuter train for free. Plus you get discounted parking when you ride or drive with someone else, subsidized vanpool fares and discounts at local merchants. Faculty and staff U-PASS holders may also purchase tickets for discounted occasional parking on campus and may utilize the Emergency Ride Home progam. By choosing the U-PASS instead of driving alone you will reduce stress, save money and help preserve the environment.

Night Stop

Feel secure traveling at night. Night Stop is a convenient service provided by Metro Transit. Available between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Night Stop allows you to ask the driver to let you off at any point along your bus route, even though it might not be a Metro bus stop. Just go to the front of the bus at least a block ahead of where you want to get off and request your stop. The driver will decide whether the stop you asked for can be made safely. Drivers can pick you up only at regular Metro bus stops. Night Stop is not available in the Ride Free Area downtown. For safety reasons, the wheel-chair lift will be deployed only at lift approved bus stops along the route.

Bus Tickets for visitors, guests and off-campus employees

Bus Tickets allow departments to provide a transportation alternative to driving for their visitors, guests and UW employees working off-site but coming to main campus for University business. The bus tickets are sold only in booklets of 20 tickets for $25. That's a major a savings in relation to pre-paid Department Commuter Tickets. There is no maximum number of booklets that may be purchased, but the booklets are non-refundable. Tickets are valid for two-zone, peak-hour trips within King County on Metro buses. Departments/event coordinators are responsible for distributing bus tickets and a User Information Sheet which provides visitors and guests with website information, phone numbers, and the website address for Metro's Trip Planning service. For more information visit Visitors Options