Countdown

Get your ORCA cards loaded, passes purchased (hint: SO much  easier than keeping track of transfer times and paper transfers), pockets full of quarters ready. Scrape your eyeballs over all those Rider Alert signs and flyers: On Saturday September 29, all of the following will occur:

--the downtown Seattle Ride Free Area will be no more. RantWoman understands that the city of Seattle will be paying a nonprofit, Solid Ground to operate free circulator buses downtown but More precise tidings than that have not reached RantWoman.

--With the discontinuation of the Ride Free  Area, all passengers will now be expected to pay on entry and to board  in front, disembark further back. RantWoman deeply HOPES everything will go smoothly--and RantWoman sort of expects a certain amount of Chinese fire drill for a few weeks until everyone gets the hang of things. RantWoman would SO like to be wrong.

--Metro's fall route shakeup will take effect. This includes changes to 80% of the system, discontinuation of some routes, restructuring of service.

In other words, probably  a LOT more stress, discombobulation, and  "time to pray because this is  the first time this driver has driven this route and he or she has no idea where the stop I am requesting is" than usual.

If you pray, maybe it's a good idea just to get an early start on the "time to pray."

If you don't pray, could you maybe consider it on behalf of the rest of us even if  it's not for yourself?