On Oct. 23, King County Metro launched its first application offering on-demand shuttle service to and from transit hubs. Being the county’s largest park-and-ride, Eastgate Park-and-Ride is the first transit hub to use the Ride2 Park & Ride app.

The Ride2 Eastgate will operate in the 2-to 3-mile area joining Interstate 90, including Lake Hills, Factoria, Somerset and Lakemont neighborhoods. The shuttle service will be available during weekday commute times, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

As part of a yearlong pilot project, similar on-demand shuttle services will be available to other transit hubs throughout King County in the next several months.

The first few months will be free and will then cost the same as a standard Metro bus ride. Passengers will be able to tap their ORCA card when boarding the service shuttle.

“Metro, at its core, provides excellent bus service, and helping people reach that service by piloting new mobility options like Ride2 is how we keep pace with the needs of today’s riders,” King County Metro general manager Rob Gannon said in a press release. “We hope that this project and others like it will help people travel more easily even as we face a critical period of major construction in the region.”

King County Metro is offering end-to-end service with the new shuttle service. Chariot will use Ford Smart Mobility’s “dynamic routing technology” to deliver the Ride2 Eastgate service. The dynamic routing allows service to be flexible. That means pick-up and drop-off access points will vary depending on the location of the costumer.

The Ride2 will deliver service that is accessible to all. Customers using wheelchairs or needing accommodation can note that need in their Ride2 Park and Ride app profile.

Bellevue Mayor John Chelminiak said the key to success is “connecting important community assets” to surrounding neighborhoods.

“The Ride2 program will help us do that and we’re pleased that King County Metro has chosen Eastgate as the first transit hub to pilot this innovative, on-demand shuttle service,” Chelminiak said in a press release. “We look forward to continuing our long-standing collaboration with Metro to create reliable transportation options in Bellevue.”

To learn more about King County Metro’s Ride2 pilot project and app, visit the county’s website at www.kingcounty.gov.