RedLink On-Demand Pilot

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names, numbers and details may be misheard.

What: the RedLink on-demand first and last mile service, a pilot funded by a state regional mobility grant plus city match.
Where it stands: on November 5 the council kept the budget as proposed (about $330,000 in 2027 and $660,000 in 2028) and declined to expand it, with a report back after the pilot ends in June 2027.
Next: results from the June to June pilot period; revisit expansion and funding partners.

Staff priced options: one extra vehicle about $180,000 a year, or two vehicles about $360,000 a year to extend service along Avondale Road and the west side of Education Hill. The grant is one-time, so staff are seeking corporate sponsors and tourism funds for sustainability.
Stuart and Parsi supported leaving the pilot as is; Parsi wants infrastructure over temporary service; Councilmember Prakriya suggested partnering with Bellevue on a shared vendor; Mayor Birney wants the service shown within the whole network of transit options.
Cochran said contingency exists if the council wants to expand after the results.

2026-11-05 - City Council Study Session Meeting - Council deliberations #4: no change to funding; report back at the one-year mark.