Port Commission Makes Moves on Commuter Transit Initiatives for SEA Airport Employees

SEATTLE — The Port of Seattle Commission yesterday directed Port staff to develop a plan to help address the commuting needs of the more than 20,000 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) workers. During yesterday’s Commission meeting, five new programs for 2025 were authorized for study and evaluation as part of the Port’s Transportation Management Association, known as SEA MOVES. The programs proposed in this week’s Commission Order include a pilot program to evaluate the benefits of providing ORCA transit passes to a representative group of eligible airport workers, as well as a study of a potential employee bus shuttle.

This move follows the adoption of a Ground Transportation Access Plan (GTAP) in 2019, which directed the Port to form SEA MOVES and committed SEA to transportation-related goals such as decreasing commuter trips in single-occupancy vehicles. The Port will evaluate the impact of the Order’s proposed programs over a set period of time to measure the impact of these efforts on the Port’s overall ground transportation access goals.

“I was proud to sponsor this order to improve transit access for workers at the airport and be a good neighbor to airport communities by taking steps to reduce traffic congestion and emissions,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Hamdi Mohamed. “With more than 20,000 people working at SEA, it’s essential to boost transportation options. However, given the 24/7 nature of work at the airport and the off-peak work hours of many employees, it has been challenging to find transit options that work for our workers. I am particularly excited that we will be piloting free or reduced cost ORCA cards for selected groups of SEA workers, to encourage transit usage and support retention of these valuable employees.”

“After years of working to improve transit alternatives to and from the airport, we’re very excited to be taking this next step in initiating and testing several ideas,” said Port of Seattle Commission Vice President Toshiko Hasegawa. “We also have work to do at the state level in advocating for more inclusive policies that recognize the needs of employees who work during non-peak hours and in shifts outside the transitional 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. window.”

Some of the potential benefits of increased commute trip options include:

• Potential to improve worker recruitment and retention
• Reducing costs to the Port for the operation of employee parking infrastructure
• Enhancing environmental sustainability
• Reducing overall congestion on the region’s roadways

Five key commute trip reduction programs that the Port will explore in the next year include:

• Commute consultation services: SEA MOVES staff will help airport workers plan transit trips, answer commute questions, and share transportation benefit information with airport employers
• Carpool incentive program: encourages employees to commute together and form carpools by granting preferential parking at Port-owned facilities
• Active transportation encouragement program: invests in capital improvements and programs that help employees adopt active transit options like walking or biking
• Transit pass program: promoting the ORCA Business program among all airport employers and assisting with enrollment. The Port will also study the benefits of wholly or partially fund ORCA cards for a subset of non-Port airport employees during the pilot period.
• Commuter bus feasibility study for airport employees: evaluating the feasibility of a dedicated commuter shuttle service for airport employees