Beta

Seattle.net is a public prototype. Transit, alerts, services, and current city checks are the most reliable parts right now. Event and neighborhood coverage is partial and may send you to official sources.

Getting around

Seattle Transit

Pick a lane first, then confirm current conditions when the trip depends on timing.

What matters right now

Ferry-related disruptions are the strongest current transit signal.

9 Seattle-area travel notes are active, including 8 ferry notes.

Who should care

Trips with terminal dependence

Check ferries first if your trip depends on Seattle waterfront timing or a specific terminal route.

What should I do first

Check ferries

Open Ferry travel first. If your trip is not lane-specific, use Alerts for the broader movement picture.

Fast lane comparison

Use this first when the trip type is already clear

Watch first

Current Seattle movement notes

Ferry travel

Choose the right lane

Pick the transit page that matches the trip, not just the mode name

Ferries, light rail, and buses solve different Seattle questions. Use the lane below that best matches the trip first, then fall back to the transit chooser only when the trip is still unclear.

Official lane

Buses

King County Metro and RapidRide are still the broadest official in-city lane for everyday Seattle trips.

Best for: Neighborhood-to-neighborhood travel, RapidRide, and the broadest everyday Seattle trips.

Practical note: If you are not sure where to start, buses are usually the safest first lane because they cover the most ordinary in-city trips.

Start here first: Start here first when the question is route pattern, neighborhood coverage, or which everyday lane makes the trip possible.

Current signal: 3 live movement notes point here right now. Friday, March 13, until the morning of Monday, March 16 - The westbound SR 520 off-ramp to East Roanoke Street in Seattle will close for construction beginning at 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday. Please note: The westbound SR 520 off-ramp to northbound I-5, which shares the same exit ramp as the ramp to Roanoke Street, is not affected by this work and will remain open.

Official lane

Ferries

Washington State Ferries is the official lane for sailings, terminals, and waterfront-dependent trip timing.

Best for: Terminal timing, waterfront movement, sailings, and any trip shaped by the water.

Practical note: If the trip is terminal-dependent, ferries and current alerts matter more than the map distance because one sailing change can reshape the whole trip.

Start here first: Start here first when the crossing or terminal is the real constraint, not just the neighborhood on the other end.

Current signal: 8 ferry notes are active right now. Edm/King - #2 Walla Walla back on schedule

Official lane

Light rail

Link is the clearest official lane for airport access, downtown runs, and station-based trips across the city.

Best for: Airport trips, downtown runs, station-to-station travel, and Seattle trips shaped by Link access.

Practical note: If downtown timing matters most, start with Link first because it is usually the most predictable airport and central-city corridor.

Start here first: Start here first when the trip is really about stations, airport access, or whether rail is the cleanest way to cross the city.

Current signal: 1 rail-adjacent movement notes are active right now. From 10 p.m. Saturday, March 14 to 6 a.m. Sunday, March 15, the southbound Interstate 5 ramp to northbound Interstate 405 will close from the SEA Airport/Burien (milepost 154) to Southcenter Boulevard (milepost 154) for maintenance.

Featured transit lanes

Then go deeper into the lane that already has a live Seattle.net page

Buses, ferries, and light rail now have their own deeper pages. Use them first when the trip is already clearly about one of those systems, then fall back to the broader transit categories below only when you need the official agency start point or a crossover guide.

Transit utility guides

Use a chooser page when the trip is easier to define by situation

These pages help when the question is not just buses versus rail or ferries, but which transit lane to open first based on the trip, destination, or rider context.

Transit utility

Start here

Use this when you know the trip is transit-related but do not yet know which Seattle.net page to open first.

Transit utility

Best way to get there

Use this when the destination defines the transit question more than the route or agency.

Transit utility

Visitor transit basics

Use this when someone is new to Seattle and needs the simplest starting point first.

Transit utility

Late-night and weekend travel

Use this when off-peak timing matters more than the mode itself.

Transit utility

Car-free and transit-friendly neighborhoods

Use this crossover guide when the route question is really about which neighborhood works best without a car.

Transit utility

Ferry and waterfront access

Use this crossover guide when ferries, terminals, and waterfront movement shape the neighborhood choice.

Transit utility

Light-rail and regional access

Use this crossover guide when the neighborhood decision depends on rail access first.

Transit utility

Easiest neighborhoods for visitors

Use this crossover guide when a visitor trip needs the simplest neighborhood base first.

Transit utility

Commute-friendly neighborhoods

Use this crossover guide when workday movement and city access matter as much as the route itself.

Transit utility

Getting to city offices

Use this crossover page when the right office and the right route both matter.

Transit utility

Ferry and waterfront errands

Use this when terminals, ferries, and waterfront errands overlap.

Transit utility

Airport and travel basics

Use this when airport movement and city-task routing are mixed together.

Transit utility

Commute and city tasks

Use this when errands and paperwork have to fit around a workday trip.

More guide families

Purpose, visitor, and weather guides still exist, but they are secondary to the core transit lanes during beta.

Quick use note

Start with the lane that already sounds like the trip. If the question is terminal or sailing dependent, use ferries first. If downtown or airport timing matters most, use light rail first. If the trip is still broad or neighborhood-to-neighborhood, use buses first. Use Alerts, Live, or Now before all of that only when current conditions may change the route itself.

Transportation lanes

Pick the route that matches the trip

This page is a practical public starting point, not a replacement for transit agency planners or account systems. The goal is to get you to the right transportation lane faster.

Start here

Buses and regional transit

For everyday bus travel and the broader transit systems people usually reach for first in Seattle.

Best for: King County Metro basics, route planning, and real-time regional transit starts.

Start here

Light rail and regional rail

For Link light rail, Sound Transit, and the rail systems people use for cross-city and airport trips.

Best for: Link light rail, Sound Transit service basics, and regional train planning.

Start here

Ferries and waterfront movement

For ferry-dependent trips, terminals, and the part of Seattle travel that works differently from a normal bus or rail commute.

Best for: Washington State Ferries, terminal context, and Seattle waterfront movement.

Start here

Driving, traffic, and city movement context

For the trips that are partly about driving, parking, or live city movement rather than pure transit planning.

Best for: Road conditions, current movement across the city, and the transportation context around the trip.

Best current coverage

Transit now covers buses, ferries, light rail, airport trips, regional rail, driving, trip-planning tools, stations, and event-night movement. This is already the main public starting point for getting around during beta.