Innovative Mobility Program

Metro’s Innovative Mobility Program is leveraging emerging mobility services and new technologies to give people more ways to get around in King County. Through strategic research initiatives and service pilots, Metro is exploring approaches such as shared mobility, Mobility-as-a-Service, automated vehicles, and Smart Cities.

Metro believes that the best innovations come out of partnerships among government agencies, communities, and the private sector. Please reach out and share your ideas for delivering innovative mobility in King County!

Innovative Mobility Action Agenda

Metro has a long record of advancing innovative transportation concepts, from installing bike racks on our coaches and launching our vanpool program in the 1970s, to incubating Flexcar car share and Pronto bikeshare in the 2000s. Now we’re moving into a new era. Our Innovative Mobility Action Agenda charts our policy direction along the following six strategies:

Shared Mobility

Shared Mobility Complement Metro’s services with new shared-mobility options.

Current work includes:

• Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program
• Shared employer shuttles pilot project

Mobility-as-a-Service

Mobility-as-a-Service Build an internal framework for advancing Mobility-as-a-Service.

Current projects:

• Carpooling is just an app away
• Emergency ride home programs with TNCs

Electric, Connected, and Automated

Electric, Connected, and Automated Embrace the strategic opportunities presented by electric, connected, and automated vehicles.

Current projects:

• Development of zero-emission fleet
• Exploration of potential use of automated vehicles

Data Management and Smart Cities

Data Management and Smart Cities Integrate Metro’s data management platforms and engage with Smart City initiatives throughout King County.

Current projects:

• Data sharing platforms and trusted data repositories
• Transit signal prioritization

Infrastructure and Built Form Efficiency

Infrastructure and Built Form Efficiency Improve the efficiency of existing infrastructure and realize compact built forms.

Current projects:

• Visioning of Eastgate park & ride as a mobility hub

Culture of Innovation

Culture of Innovation Create a culture of innovation at Metro.

Metro is embracing change by:

• Expanding our role—from service provider to mobility management.
• Advancing needed regulatory changes to reduce barriers to innovation.

Policy framework

Long-Range Plan

The Innovative Mobility Program is based on and guided by Metro's long-range plan, METRO CONNECTS, which reflects the following goals and values:

METRO CONNECTS' vision for innovation: "Rapidly advancing technologies are changing the ways people travel. METRO CONNECTS envisions Metro setting the bar for technological innovations in transit by investing and nurturing a culture of innovation…[Metro will] continually evaluate 'business as usual' and create new ways to serve customers better."

Shared Mobility Report

Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation collaborated in a first analysis of the growth and potential impact of shared mobility and other relevant and projected industry innovations.

The challenge of this exercise was to use the existing limited data sets and methodologies to analyze this new space, with so many unknown variables at play. The report explores a variety of issues, from gauging demand for new mobility modes and potential mode shift, to the changing economics of providing transit services, to the spatial opportunities created by these innovations.