Template revised April 12, 2018.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No. 10a

BRIEFING ITEM Date of Meeting October 22, 2024

DATE: October 4, 2024

TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director

FROM: David Tomporowski, Transportation Access Program Manager

Peter Lindsay, Assistant Director – Airport Operations, Landside

SUBJECT: SEA Airport Employee Transportation Program

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Port of Seattle Commission Resolution 3759, adopted July 2019, establishes a ground

transportation policy directive for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA Airport) informed

by the principles of emission reduction, congestion relief, customer choice, social equity, and

revenue generation. The Resolution also directs the Port to form a Transportation Management

Association (TMA) to serve the broader SEA workforce with commute trip reduction (CTR) advice,

counsel, and resources.

To meet the goals of SEA’s TMA (known as “SEA MOVES”), staff propose the following five

programs in 2025 designed to increase and improve commute options for airport employees

including:

 Commute trip consultation services

 A carpool incentive program

 An active transportation encouragement program

 A transit pass program

 A commuter bus feasibility study for airport employees

Table 1 (see below) summarizes anticipated spending on these SEA MOVES programs for 2025.

Taken together, these activities seek to improve the commuting experience for airport

employees.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 10a Page 2 of 5

Meeting Date: October 22, 2024

Template revised September 22, 2016.

Table 1: SEA MOVES 2025 Budget Requests

2025 Budget Item 2025 Amount / 2026 Full

Year

Notes

SEA MOVES Operations

Planning

$100,000 / $0 One-time consultant assistance

SEA MOVES Contractor

hiring (equivalent to 3 FTEs)

$231,000 / $924,000 2025 amount is for one quarter

SEA MOVES: Transit Pass

Pilot Program

$500,000 / $1,500,000 Pilot program amounts only.

On-going cost will be

determined after the Pilot.

SEA Employee Shuttle

Feasibility Study

$300,000 One-time consultant assistance

TOTAL $1,131,000 / $2,424,000

BACKGROUND

SEA Moves and airport transportation policy generally, are informed by key principles identified

in the Resolution namely: (a) emission reduction, (b) congestion relief, (c) improved customer

choice and experience, (d) social equity, and (e) revenue generation; all consistent with operating

a self-sustaining airport.

The Resolution also provides specific measurable goals:

(1) Reduce curbside private vehicle pickup/drop off from 41 percent to 30 percent of mode

share by 2030

(2) Reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions from passenger vehicles to 50 percent of 2007 levels by

2030.

(3) Maintain a maximum 15-minute travel time from the airport clock tower to terminal curb

or parking garage.

Accomplishments

Staff have worked to implement changes to policy, programs, and operations that advance the

Resolution’s principles and goals. Accomplishments include:

 Establishing electric vehicle incentives for transportation network companies (e.g. Uber

and Lyft).

 Creating a partnership with an external organization, South King County (SKC) Trips to

distribute transit benefits and information to new airport employees via Port Jobs’

programming.

 Developing the Mode Choice Simulator model that predicts passengers’ choice of ground

transportation mode in response to a range of initiatives including access fees for vehicles

using terminal curbs.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 10a Page 3 of 5

Meeting Date: October 22, 2024

Template revised September 22, 2016.

 Completing a legal analysis of the Port’s ability to charge a curbside access fee.

 Completing a study of a potential Port-run express passenger bussing operation and

remote bag checking capability.

 Developing the first port-wide Active Transportation Plan with a significant SEA focus.

The remainder of this memo focuses on progress related to the Port’s efforts to establish SEA

Moves, the work plan for 2025, and next steps.

A SEA TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (AKA “SEA MOVES”)

TMAs are member-controlled organizations that are typically founded to serve a specific

concentration of employees by providing education, engagement and consulting services

focused on transportation and commuting support, usually with the broad goal of reducing the

number of employees commuting in single occupancy vehicles (i.e. driving alone). The core

function of the airport’s TMA is to serve as a centralized service provider for airport tenants and

employees who work across diverse industries and jobs, typically with a commute at the

beginning and end of their day.

In consultation with Nunes-Ueno Consulting and Nelson\Nygaard, staff developed an SEA

Commute Action Strategy (CAS), finalized in Spring 2024, that recommended an organizational

structure, potential funding sources, and program offerings for airport employees.

SEA MOVES Commute Consultation

To stand up the TMA, the Port is evaluating use of an external contractor to staff SEA MOVES on

its behalf. Hiring a contractor to run a company’s employee commute program is a common

industry practice; businesses in the Puget Sound region such as Expedia, Microsoft, and Google

all employ this practice. The scope of services could include staffing a program office, providing

trip planning assistance to employees and answering common commuting questions (what

transit routes serve the airport and when, what transportation benefits does my employer

provide, am I eligible for a reduced transit fare program, etc.), focus group and individual

interviews (sometimes referred to as motivational interviewing) with employees, providing

consulting services to airport employers on their own transportation benefits as it relates to

recruitment strategies, development and dissemination of a standardized material packet

containing commuting information for employers to provide their new hires, staffing support at

airport employer recruiting/hiring events, coordination with Port Jobs to present at weekly SIDA

badge classes and other regular Port Jobs’ programming, record-keeping for audit and evaluative

purposes, and regular reporting on program metrics.

Employee Carpool Program

This program would encourage employees to commute together and form carpools by granting

them parking in the main terminal garage or within walking distance of the Terminal. One best-

practice example comes from Seattle Children’s Hospital. If multiple employees concurrently

scan their badges upon entry, they are automatically granted access to the preferred parking

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 10a Page 4 of 5

Meeting Date: October 22, 2024

Template revised September 22, 2016.

garage closest to the hospital. SEA could employ this same tactic to allow workers preferential

parking access either on-site or at other locations.

Active Transportation Encouragement Program

Many employees rely on forms of active transportation as part of their daily commute, especially

for the first or last mile of their journey. Anecdotally, the public bike racks at SEA are often full of

electric bikes and scooters, and many employees store devices in other locations around the

airport. While the Port’s Active Transportation Plan focuses on capital improvements for airport

access (particularly first/last mile connections to neighboring communities and the regional trail

network), SEA MOVES will focus on 1) serving those already using these methods as part of their

commute, and 2) introducing and encouraging the use of these methods to those that have yet

to adopt them. Seattle Children’s Hospital, as part of their award-winning CTR program,

encourages employee active transportation in a variety of ways. Examples of successful

programming that SEA could adopt include “Earn-a-Bike” or bike access programs, partnerships

with local bike shops to offer discounted maintenance or gear, partnerships with local advocacy

groups such as Cascade Bicycle Club to put on education/training classes on bicycle maintenance

and safety, and hosting active commuting promotions and events such as Bike and Walk-to-Work

Month.

Transit Pass Program

In the Puget Sound region, the ORCA (“One Regional Card for All) Card serves as the universal

fare media accepted by all major regional transit agencies. Many employers choose to participate

in the ORCA for Business program, where they provide ORCA cards to their employees at various

levels of subsidy as a part of their employee benefit package. SEA MOVES plans to promote this

program to airport employers and assisting them with enrollment. SEA MOVES could also act as

a point-of-sale location for individuals to purchase and load money onto an ORCA card. Staff are

also evaluating the potential for a centralized transit pass distribution program administered by

SEA MOVES and funded wholly or partially by the Port.

Employee Shuttle Feasibility Study

In addition to the programs, initiatives, and activities of SEA MOVES, staff will evaluate the

feasibility of a dedicated commuter shuttle bus service for credentialed airport employees, a

strategy employed by other airports, including SFO. An employee shuttle could:

 Reduce the need for costly on-airport tenant employee parking,

 Support airport employees commuting for early and late shifts that don’t coincide with

when public transportation operates, and

 Provide safe transportation for employees whose home locations that are not well-served

by public transportation.

The study will include potential service areas with high concentrations of airport workers and

regional transit hubs that could serve as potential pick up/drop off points. The shuttle service

COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 10a Page 5 of 5

Meeting Date: October 22, 2024

Template revised September 22, 2016.

concept will be evaluated for effectiveness both as a stand-alone operation and/or as a

supplement to existing and planned regional transit services. The study will also include an

assessment of the public transit network’s effectiveness at serving airport employees and may

recommend changes that would better serve employees in addition to or in lieu of a new shuttle

service. This study would not commit the Port to launching a shuttle service but would provide

the necessary information to make an informed decision about whether to pursue this option

further.

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING

(1) Presentation slides

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS

March 14, 2023 – The Commission was briefed on GTAP and TMA progress as part of the

Widen Arrivals Project presentation.

November 9, 2021 – The Commission was briefed on the Ground Transportation Access Plan

Roadmap as part of Widen Arrivals Project progression approval.

June 8, 2021 – The Commission conducted a study session on ground transportation.

July 9, 2019 – The Commission adopted Resolution 3759 creating a ground transportation

policy directive.

May 28, 2019 – Commission Resolution 3759, creating a ground transportation policy

directive, was introduced.

September 25, 2018 – The Commission received a staff briefing consisting of a presentation

and memo on ground transportation to the airport.

July 10, 2018 – The Commission conducted a study session on travel to and from SEA Airport.