Military personnel ride Seattle transit free this Fleet Week

Seafair is in full swing this week, with the hydro races and the airshow both taking over Lake Washington this weekend. As the weekend festival approaches, that means it’s Fleet Week.

Fleet Week, for those who have only heard the term, means that active military ships recently returned from oversees dock in various cities around the country. Seattle’s week lines up with Seafair, matching up with the Blue Angels airshows and the nautical events.

So this week, August 1 through 6, service members ride free on Seattle transit—specifically, Sound Transit, King County Metro Transit, and King County Water Taxi.

Ships from the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard, and the Royal Canadian Navy are expected to dock in Seattle, but it’s not restricted to active-duty service members from those branches.

Any current or former members of the Armed Forces will be able to board transit for free, including active duty, veterans, and retirees. Identification can include being in uniform, Uniformed Identification Card, Veteran Health Identification Card, or a DD 214 form.

Metro’s been participating in the tradition for “at least 15 years,” said Metro spokesperson Scott Gutierrez. Sound Transit got on board last year.

Now here’s where to ride transit to watch the hydro races from Genesee Park: Take the Metro route 50 from either West Seattle, the Columbia City light rail station, or the Othello light rail station. It’s taking extra trips—every 15 minutes—between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. day-of.