Park (or ride) the bus: Visitors enjoy transit options during summer soccer extravaganza

“Parking the bus” is a strategy often used by soccer teams as they try to close out a victory in the later stages of a match. Meanwhile, riding the bus (or ferry, train or light rail) is a proven strategy for safe and affordable access to transportation and mobility.

The Seattle Stadium has now hosted its final match of the world’s most famous sporting event. There’s little doubt that Seattle lived up to its reputation as one of the greatest soccer cities in the nation. But the Emerald City also proved itself one of the nation’s best cities for public transportation.

We saw many thousands of visitors converged in western Washington for much of the past month. Many of those people chose from a wide array of public transportation options for getting around. Whether to the stadium or to local attractions, visitors had their choice of ferries, trains or buses.

Most public transportation agencies in the area added to their existing services to help with the large numbers of visitors. Now that the games are over, we’re working with our public transportation partners to check rider numbers, trends and patterns.

Here’s a look at some of the numbers:

• WSDOT’s Amtrak Cascades trains: between June 13 and July 7, Amtrak Cascades carried more than 85,000 passengers. That’s a 19% increase over the same period in 2025. The greatest increase was on routes between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. – two of the host cities. Those routes saw a 38% increase in riders from the previous year. Most of the daily roundtrip trains were sold out, particularly on game days.
• Sound Transit: Link light rail had a whopping 5.4 million boardings in June and shattered daily records on game days. Link even broke the Seahawks’ Super Bowl parade record of 220,000 riders – but they did so on every single match day. And with 309,000 board ings Monday, July 6, Link eclipsed all its daily records for highest ridership in Sound Transit’s history!
• Across six match days, the region tallied an estimated 3.4 million boardings on transit services in King County. The final match saw some of the biggest numbers of the tournament, with 620,000 boardings. Overall, Metro estimated 1.9 million boardings on its buses, boats, shuttles and streetcars. Sound Transit accounted for the balance with an estimated 1.5 million boardings on Link light rail and its 1 and 2 bus lines.
• Travel Washington Intercity Bus: Our Travel Washington Dungeness Line saw a 10% increase in ridership from June to May. This line runs between Port Angeles and Seattle via Washington State Ferries. There were also dramatic increases in web traffic on all Travel Washington websites.
• Washington State Ferries: WSF saw a boost in ridership. In particular, the first Team USA match Friday, June 19. This day had nearly 83,500 boardings – compared with just under 71,000 boardings on the same day in 2025.

Seattle has a sterling reputation as a home of soccer supporters, as well as a welcoming destination for traveling fans. For nearly a month this summer, that shared love was on full display for all the world to see.

And not to be outdone, our local transit agencies’ history as an elite-level network of transportation services was clear as well. Each public transportation provider in the region did extensive planning and predicting demand. We all stepped up to get everyone where they needed to go throughout the tournament and beyond.

Final result: soccer fans and the transit services they chose combine for a 2-0 victory.

Washington State Ferries Celebrates a Year of Hybrid-Electric Milestones

Saturday, July 18, 2026, is the one-year anniversary of the Wenatchee returning to service. The Wenatchee is North America’s largest hybrid-electric ferry. It was a historic moment for Washington State Ferries. It’s also a vital proof of concept for building a cleaner, more reliable fleet. Looking back over the past year, that single step has turned into incredible momentum. We want to share the progress of our Electrification Program.

As with any first-of-its-kind project, the Wenatchee faced typical commissioning hurdles early on. However, thanks to the hard work of crews and partners, those challenges are in the past.

In its first year the Wenatchee racked up some impressive numbers. On its Seattle to Bainbridge Island route, we had:

• 5,500 sailings
• 1.8 million total passengers
• 552,000 vehicles

The hybrid-electric ferry even took center stage on the global map. During the recent World Cup matches in Seattle from June 15 to July 6, the Wenatchee carried:

• 206,000 passengers
• 104,000 walk-on visitors
• 49,900 vehicles

Travelers from across the globe experienced our clean, quiet, cutting-edge maritime transit.

Placed on the smokestack and above the passenger loading area, new Hybrid Electric markers welcome passengers aboard the Wenatchee.  

The real-world data from this first year is encouraging. We don’t have rapid charging at the terminal yet. But even without that, the Wenatchee is operating in hybrid electric mode. That means fuel savings and reduced carbon emissions. Once we have full shoreside charging, carbon emissions could be reduced by 90 percent or more.

The Wenatchee is just the beginning. The past year brought massive structural progress across the entire electrification portfolio. We’ve cemented key industrial partnerships to build out the future ecosystem:

• Shoreside Charging Infrastructure: Siemens Energy is designing and constructing charging stations on shore. The Seattle to Bainbridge Island rapid charging project is on track to be completed in 2029.
• Automatic Charging: Stemmann-Technik will provide specialized charging systems. These systems will physically connect the terminals to the vessels.
• Charge Management: Washington State University Engineering is designing the “brain” to manage charging.
• New Hybrid Builds: ABB will make propulsion and power storage systems.

The momentum is not just on paper. Hybrid ferries that carry 160 autos are being constructed in Florida. The engineering design work on those is now nearly wrapped up. We expect to cross a huge construction threshold by cutting steel later this summer.

We started with a single converted vessel navigating its first hybrid runs. Now we have an entire supply chain humming into motion. The last year proved that maritime electrification is no longer a distant vision. It is happening right now on the Puget Sound.

Share your experience on State Route 164 and help shape future improvements

Heading to the King County Fair this month? Or traveling State Route 164 for your daily commute, school drop off, or local errands in Auburn or Enumclaw? Whether you are visiting the fair, heading to work, or making a trip to the mountains or local businesses, SR 164 plays a role in your day. However you use SR 164, your experience matters.

We are studying improvements for the stretch of road that extends from Auburn (Dogwood Street) through Muckleshoot Indian Tribal lands and unincorporated areas of King County to Highpoint Street in Enumclaw. Your input will help identify priorities and shape our recommendations. Take a few minutes to share your feedback.

Take the 10 minute survey by Tuesday, July 28.

The study area from Dogwood Street East in Auburn to High Point Street in Enumclaw.

We are identifying future improvements and making a plan for the next steps.

What we are studying

The study focuses on safety, access, mobility, walking, biking, transit, freight and emergency response needs on this part of State Route 164. We will identify short- and long-term improvements, document key needs and priorities, and make recommendations. Planning now can save time and resources in the future.

Want to hear from you today (or at least before Tuesday, July 28)!

An online open house and survey are live. If you travel on SR 164 between Auburn and Enumclaw, whether it be driving, walking, biking, rolling or transit, tell us about your experience. Click here to fill out this 10-minute survey.

We will be doing community engagement throughout the study. Other engagement opportunities will be shared as the study advances.

Working with partners

We are working closely with partners along SR 164, including:

• Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
• City of Auburn
• City of Enumclaw
• King County
• King County Metro
• Emergency services
• Local and regional agencies

Input from our partners helps align the study with local plans, transit needs, community priorities, and emergency access.

What to expect

The SR 164 Vision and Implementation Plan supports our mission to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective travel options. This study will run from 2026 through mid-2027. There are three phases with opportunities for feedback.

Phase 1: We are currently in Phase 1.

• Learn about the corridor today. We collect data, review current and future conditions and listen to understand needs and concerns.
• Identify what matters most. Community input and partner input help shape the study's purpose, priorities and tradeoffs.

Phase 2:

• Develop ideas for improvement. The SR 164 Plan team will develop improvement options to address safety, access and travel needs. We'll collect community input on possible improvement options.
• Review the improvement options. We compare the options to understand their benefits, limits and tradeoffs.

Phase 3:

• Improve the recommendations. We share improvement options, gather feedback, and make changes as needed.
• Set priorities. We share a draft recommendation and ask for community input.
• Finish the plan and report back. We will summarize what we heard, explain how input was used, and complete the plan for the state legislature by June 30, 2027.

Learn more and stay informed

We are committed to transparency throughout this process and your feedback and voice make a difference. Thanks for helping to make this community driven.

Project webpage

Visit the project page for the latest updates, detailed information and recordings/presentations from our Advisory Group meetings.

Email updates: Sign up for news and study updates .

Contact Info

Zack Howard
WSDOT Principal Multimodal Planner, Complete Streets
Management of Mobility
206-437-6353
Zachary.Howard@wsdot.wa.gov

How a maintenance crew turned their commutes into a multimodal adventure

By Hannah Weinberger 

This is your sign to start a commute club with your work friends

The next time you see a group riding scooters or carrying them on light rail, give them a wave: They might be the same people keeping roads safe for all of us to use.

The scooter crew is the talk of Washington State Department of Transportation’s Area 5 maintenance facility on South Spokane Street. For the past three months, six crew members who used to drive to work have turned recent scooter purchases into a daily commute they look forward to taking together, on streets they maintain.

Crew members with our Area 5 Maintenance team show off their scooters and colorful helmets. 

They’ve learned that switching up their travel habits not only makes their commutes easier, more affordable and more fun, but changes their relationship with work and our transportation network in interesting ways.

It started with crew member Lauro. While he used to live a five-minute drive from work, moving to Federal Way had him rethinking his commute. When the new Federal Way light rail station opened, he got more serious about buying a scooter – and when gas prices surged this spring, he took the plunge.

By that point, Julian, Woody, Xavier, Scott and Luis had been talking about buying scooters for as much as a year. “I think all of us were waiting for one person to do it,” Xavier says. The scooter crew started taking shape within days. Two of them joined Lauro in riding to the Federal Way station, taking light rail to SoDo, and arriving at work by way of the 6th Ave. protected bike lane that intersects the shed’s driveway. (They used to find the bike lane annoying as drivers. “The bike lanes are actually pretty good,” Luis says. “We are on board. We want more.”)

Two weeks later, they were four-riders strong. Then six. Then came the coordinated helmets and an action camera to capture the camaraderie.

Between the convenience of connecting with light rail, the affordability, the good company and conversation and not having to sit in traffic, scooter commuting had the crew hooked. Oh, and the scenic route helps. Scott gets Rainier views as he crosses the 520 Bridge to Bellevue by scooter or the new Line 2, while Luis scoots over a hilly trail that connects from a station all the way to his backyard. “You go slower, but it’s a pretty view. And it’s something that I don’t see when I drive, you know?” Luis says.

The crew that scoots together, it turns out, also looks forward to spending more time together. Where they used to leave in a rush to beat traffic on Thursdays and Fridays, they now spend that time hanging out and exploring the area. “I think knowing your coworkers outside of work is extremely important to build those relationships, and I think it creates a healthier work environment,” Scott says.

Operations and maintenance leaders agree. “It’s definitely a morale booster,” says Sage Jones, assistant superintendent for Area 5 maintenance. “When the guys come rolling in like that, when they’re happy… it affects the entire crew.” Sage and Alec Brown, also an assistant superintendent for Area 5 maintenance, are working to make transit and micromobility more accessible for crew members by allowing for some scheduling flexibility: When a crew member wanted to take a train to work but was worried about arriving a few minutes late, managers accommodated them. “We value what they bring as a whole, no matter how they get to work,” Alec says.

Meanwhile, the scooter commutes are taking on a life of their own. The more the crew rides, the more routes they dream of trying.

After noticing a long bike lane south of the maintenance facility, Lauro’s been selling his colleagues on a route that skips Light Rail entirely.

“ One day,” he says, “ we should scooter from [work] all the way to Federal Way.”