New on-demand ride service ramps up in Crossroads

City, KC Metro partner on Crossroads Connect, linking people to bus routes 

Bellevue and King County Metro today are launching an on-demand service called Crossroads Connect. It serves people in the city’s diverse Crossroads and Lake Hills neighborhoods, linking homes, jobs, schools and shopping to Metro bus routes that serve the broader Eastside (video about the service).

Crossroads Connect provides shared ride connections to frequent transit service and is intended to improve mobility for people who live and work in the service area, which has  comparatively lower rates of car ownership and lower household incomes. To promote physical distancing, service is currently limited to one rider or party per trip.

The service is expected to run through June 2021. 

• Booking a ride: People request rides using the Crossroads Connect On-demand app (available in your preferred app store) or by calling 1-855-233-6043. Passengers will be picked up in a wheelchair accessible passenger van or a Nissan Leaf within about 15 minutes. If wait times are long, passengers may be offered a cab ride instead at no additional charge. 
• Where and when: Crossroads Connect rides are available within the service area Monday through Friday, 3-9 p.m. Trips must start or end at the pick-up/drop-off area at Northeast 10th Street and 156th Avenue Northeast, near the B Line Station at Crossroads Shopping Center. 
• Connecting to buses: The pick-up/drop-off area is next to Metro’s RapidRide B Line station, which connects riders to downtown Bellevue and Redmond. Nearby are stops for Metro routes 221, 226 and 245, serving Eastgate, downtown and Factoria in Bellevue, plus Redmond and Kirkland. 
• Cost and how to pay: Standard King County Metro rates apply; the cost is the same as a bus ride and includes a free transfer to connecting bus lines. Fares may be paid using an ORCA card, cash (exact fare required), Transit GO ticket or a valid transfer.   
• Health and safety: Masks are required. At launch, for safety and physical distancing, service is limited to one rider per vehicle; additional riders are allowed if they are members of the same party as the rider booking the trip. King County Metro vehicles are disinfected daily; partitions separate riders from drivers.

Crossroads Connect is a partnership between the City of Bellevue and King County Metro. It’s funded by a $394,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation and Bellevue’s 2016, voter-approved Neighborhood Safety, Connectivity and Congestion Levy. 

The service is operated by King County's contractor, Hopelink; the on-demand app and software is provided by Spare Labs Inc.

Quotes:

“Crossroads Connect helps fill a transportation need in a part of our community that’s been especially hard hit in recent months,” said Bellevue Transportation Director Andrew Singelakis. “I’m grateful for our collaboration with King County Metro in finding a thoughtful response to transit issues in the Crossroads neighborhood.”

“City of Bellevue provides an outstanding example of how local jurisdictions can identify a transit need and secure funding, then partner with Metro to come up with a creative solution and implement it,” said Christina O’Claire, Metro’s director of mobility. “Metro has limited resources to fund new pilot projects, so we’re excited about this grant opportunity with Crossroads Connect – it will help people now, while allowing us to learn how the model might work for future mobility solutions across the county.”