This past Thursday, the Sound Transit Board voted
unanimously to defer the implementation of per- ride fees for the Tacoma Link. The postponement of fee collection was made
possible through a $29,000 annual donation made by the Tacoma Business
Improvement Area. In order to keep
customer foot traffic and business patronage in the downtown area high, the BIA
has offered this donation to offset Sound Transit’s projected lost net revenues
for the year.
Without the BIA’s donation, the transit agency would have
begun charging $1 per adult ride on the Link to offset the
cost of running the 1.5 mile line.
Both Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the BIA believe the implementation of
a per-ride fee makes more sense once the planned Link expansion in the Hilltop
and Stadium districts is complete (estimated for a 2022
completion). The current arrangement
will allow hundreds of thousands people to continue riding the Link for free in
the foreseeable future.
For additional information, visit the Tacoma News Tribune here, view the Sound Transit's press release here, or read the Business Examiner's coverage here.
For additional information, visit the Tacoma News Tribune here, view the Sound Transit's press release here, or read the Business Examiner's coverage here.
