Commuting Kirkland to Mount Vernon (Seattle, Bellevue: car rental, to rent, school)

[lauralk80]

Hello!

We live in Kirkland (Juanita area) I work in Bellevue we have ONE car. Here's the problem, my boyfriend is starting school in Sept at Skagit college, he has to go here because they have a very specific ranger program that he needs. Are there any other options for commuting other than the bus? We called metro and apparently it will take 3 hours one way! Anyone know of any other public transit options that might be faster? And in case you are wondering we dont want to use the car for his commuting because it is an older car and we think that everyday wear and tear will kill it. Thanks for any help!

[reliance]

Originally Posted by lauralk80

Hello!

We live in Kirkland (Juanita area) I work in Bellevue we have ONE car. Here's the problem, my boyfriend is starting school in Sept at Skagit college, he has to go here because they have a very specific ranger program that he needs. Are there any other options for commuting other than the bus? We called metro and apparently it will take 3 hours one way! Anyone know of any other public transit options that might be faster? And in case you are wondering we dont want to use the car for his commuting because it is an older car and we think that everyday wear and tear will kill it. Thanks for any help!

Yeah...busing from Kirkland to Skagit College in a reasonable amount of time is going to be near impossible. By what time would he have to arrive at the college?

[superman71]

Here are some Seattle-area to Skagit options:

1. Amtrak. They have a morning bus from Everett to Skagit, and afternoon bus and an evening train. Check their site for exact times. I like the Amtrak bus the best because it's the quickest and the buses are very nice.

2. There's a commuter bus that goes from Everett to Skagit. It's like $2.50 each way and runs a few routes in the morning and a few routes in the evening. 45 minutes each way. This is by far your cheapest options.

3. There's the airport shuttle. I think it's called the Bellingham airporter. It runs from Bellingham, along the I5 corridor making stops along the way. It's in the $20+ each way range. Google them for exact prices and stop points.

4. Enterprise car rental. They have monthly deals. This is going to be your most expensive option but depending on how many days a week he's going, and the times, it might be worth it to you. I like Enterprise best in the area out of all the other places and use them often.

5. I am hesitant to even suggest this because I won't step foot on one any more for ANY reason, but Greyhound runs between Everette and Skagit a few times a day. $15.00 each way. Their buses are dirty, small, ugly, disgusting and not well maintained. The last one I was on leaked water from the roof you could see and hear falling on the floor. 90% of their drivers are psycho. They treat their passengers like welfare recipients. And they have a horrible safety record. In the last two years they have had a fatal bus crash in California and someone murdered on their bus in Canada. Some say this could happen any where, and of course it could, but Greyhound provides an atmosphere of hostility of which I believe these "accidents" thrive in. I do not recommend them and would pay 5 times or more to rent a car if they were my only option. But there you have it.