‘#WeekWithoutDriving’ Day 1: Waiting for the bus in the rain

Monday marks the first day of ‘#WeekWithoutDriving,’ a challenge to Seattle drivers to get out of their cars and find different ways to get around. Organizers hope this week calls attention to gaps in the city's transportation systems, especially for disabled people who can’t drive. KUOW's Casey Martin is taking the challenge, finding a different mode of transportation to get to the office every day this week.

On this rainy first day of ‘#WeekWithoutDriving,’ I traveled around Seattle on King County Metro buses.

Typically I ride one bus from my home to the U District and then walk up the Ave to KUOW. Today I hopped on a second bus to stay dry.

Along the Ave, students huddled in their raincoats at bus stops, looking for — and praying to see — their bus.

Jennifer Comeau, who works at UW, said she usually waits about five minutes for either the 20 or 45 route to show up at the U District station.

Comeau owns a Suzuki scooter but only drives it a couple of times a year because it get “a little hairy” on Seattle streets, especially during rush hour.

She does wish Metro would communicate more with riders when there are service disruptions or detours.

“Sometimes some bus drivers are really great about very clearly announcing it every couple of stops,” Comeau said, "but I've had a couple of instances where I was taken by surprise and missed my stop because my stop wasn't where it was supposed to be. That wasn’t good.”

The 20 bus to Green Lake did show up promptly Monday and Comeau and others climbed aboard.

A few buses had their sign reading, “BUS FULL,” but determined students packed in.

In recent months Metro has cut some of its service to ensure buses show up on time.

The agency wants to hear from disabled riders now to improve mobility needs.

Tuesday, weather permitting, I plan to ride my bike into work for Day 2 of this week without driving.