The Seattle bus that takes people hiking isn't funded yet for 2020
Thousands of people took the bus to go hiking in King County this past year. Whether that service will be offered again is up in the air.
A bus from downtown Seattle to Mount Si, from the Mount Baker neighborhood to Mailbox peak, from North Bend to Cougar Mountain. Those trips — and more — are possible under the county's Trailhead Direct pilot program, a park, ride, and hike service.
Though 35,000 people used it this year, it's not yet funded for 2020. King County spokesperson Chad Lewis says the county Executive Dow Constantine is intent on bringing it back.
Lewis: "It's making the outdoors accessible to more diverse communities, it's making it possible to enjoy the best parts of our region without having to drive or park."
The county will put out a public survey Monday, November 4th to ask people's opinion.
The last two years were a test run, with financial help from REI and Clif Bar Company. Offering bus-to-trail in 2020 would also require a public-private partnership.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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