Bellevue to Safeco Field By Public Transportation: Mariners Fans Take Note

If you're heading to a Mariners game tonight (or anytime this season), you can skip the traffic and parking by taking a bus. Luckily for Bellevue residents, it's pretty easy to take public transportation to Safeco Field.

Here are some tips, if you've never done it before. You can bookmark this page for guidance on any game later on in the season (though the buses vary by time of day and day of the week, so it's best to check the King County Metro Regional Trip Planner to make sure that your bus is running).

In Bellevue

The Bellevue Transit Center in downtown Bellevue, the Eastgate Park and Ride, the Evergreen Point Road Park and Ride and the South Bellevue Park and Ride all have direct routes to downtown Seattle. So, you can take your local bus to one of those stops, or park your car at one of those Park and Ride lots.

Direct routes from Bellevue to Seattle include:

• Bellevue Transit Center, 10850 NE 6th St, Bellevue: Sound Transit 550
• Eastgate Park and Ride, 14200 SE Eastgate Way: Sound Transit 554; Metro Transit 217, 212
• Evergreen Point Road Bridge (Medina) Park and Ride, Evergreen Point Rd & NE 32nd St, Medina: Metro 255; Sound Transit 545
• South Bellevue Park and Ride, 2700 Bellevue Way SE: Sound Transit 550.

If you need help planning your trip to Safeco or back home, use the King County Metro Trip Planner or the Sound Transit Mariners service webpage for guidance on how to plan your bus trip.

In Seattle

Safeco Field is within a 15-minute walk from the International District/Chinatown station, and an even shorter walk from the Sound Transit Link Light Rail Stadium Station. 

From International District, you can head southwest (toward the water) on foot toward Safeco Field, or transfer to a Sound Transit Link Light Rail train to Stadium Station, if saving a few blocks of walking is worth the short wait (and the train fare).

Tips from King County Metro

King County Metro Transit offers these tips for taking Metro buses to Safeco Field this season:

• There are plenty of regular bus routes that travel near Safeco. Look for bus routes that serve these key locations for the shortest walk: International District Station in the transit tunnel; South Royal Brougham Way at the Sodo Busway; or bus stops along 4thAvenue South. The Regional Trip Planner is the best way to find service (www.kingcounty.gov/tripplanner). You can also call (206) 553-3000 for assistance.
• Due to construction near Safeco Field, Metro bus routes no longer travel on 1st Avenue South in either direction between South Lander Street and South Jackson Street. But, this also means that buses no longer need to be rerouted on game days.
• There are no special shuttles to Mariners games this year, but with buses, light rail, trains, and boats, you have plenty of options besides driving to the games.
• When planning your bus trip, be sure to check schedules for both the pre-game and post-game trips. Bus service later in the evening or on weekends can be less frequent than on weekdays.
• In addition to the bus, you can also ride Link light rail and Sounder trains to stops near Safeco. The King County Water Taxi offers service between West Seattle and Pier 50 on the Seattle waterfront about 10 blocks from the stadium.
• Whether you’re going to the game, or just traveling through, expect congestion and delays for both transit and traffic in the stadium area on game days.