Annual Truck Permits – Shuttle Bus Zone Conditions of Use

SMC 11.14.568 Shuttle Bus Zone. "Shuttle vehicle load zone" means a portion of a street designated by a sign and white paint markings or other traffic control devices that is reserved for the exclusive use of shuttle vehicles authorized by a valid shuttle vehicle loading permit.

SMC 11.14.567 Shuttle Bus. "Shuttle vehicle" means every motor vehicle designed for the purpose of carrying passengers (having a seating capacity for 11 or more persons used regularly to transport persons of any charitable, commercial, institutional, or residential organization over a fixed or predetermined route and that is authorized by a valid shuttle vehicle loading permit. This definition does not include a sightseeing bus or charter bus as defined in this Chapter.

SMC 11.23.034 Shuttle Bus Loading Permit -- Requirements and Fee.

1. The Director of Transportation is authorized to administer a system for issuing shuttle vehicle loading permits and collecting fees. Shuttle vehicle loading permits shall only be issued to persons or entities that possess a current business license, issued by the governmental entity with jurisdiction to issue the license, and all other required state or federal licenses. The applicant may obtain one nontransferable permit for each licensed shuttle vehicle operated by the company named in the business license that will use a designated shuttle vehicle load zone. The applicant shall provide the license plate number and other vehicle identification information as determined by the Director of Transportation. The permit shall be permanently affixed to the lower left-hand corner of the vehicle's windshield.
2. Permits shall be valid for one calendar year. The Director of Transportation shall collect a fee to be deposited in the Transportation Fund and established annually by a fee schedule for each permit issued to an applicant.
3. All shuttle vehicle loading permits shall be of a temporary nature, shall vest no permanent right, and may in any case be revoked upon 30 calendar days' notice or without notice if the Director determines that continuing to permit stopping at one or more locations is a safety risk.

DIRECTOR’S RULE 06-2023 6.4 Data As part of Shuttle Vehicle Permit conditions, the employer agrees to share relevant data on a regular basis about the shuttle route serving the Shuttle Vehicle Load Zone or shared transit stop, including but not limited to routing pathways, service levels, delay and crash incidents, and passenger utilization. Data such as these can help SDOT determine if Shuttle Vehicle Load Zones are being appropriately designated, and that use of shared transit stops are not negatively impacting transit or arterial operations. SDOT encourages employers to remain in regular communication about these data needs, their cadence, and the quantitative and qualitative information that is available to assess performance of employer shuttle operations. SDOT acknowledges that: transit data standards continue to advance rapidly;  this rule may be updated to reflect changes, and we will engage in regular conversations with each employer as part of their application and renewal processes. This information will not be shared on public-facing communications or websites and will meet criteria outlined in the City of Seattle’s Mobility Data Privacy and Handling Guidelines.

SMC 11.72.357 Shuttle Bus Load Zone.
No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle other than a shuttle vehicle displaying a valid shuttle vehicle loading permit in a shuttle vehicle load zone during the hours the zone restriction is in effect; provided that shuttle vehicle load zone restrictions are not effective on Sundays or parking holidays, except where otherwise indicated by sign posting for the zone.

Shuttle Bus Load Zone Time Limit. No person shall stop, stand, or park a shuttle vehicle for longer than fifteen minutes or as posted.

Indemnification: The permit holder agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the City of Seattle, its officials, officers, employees, and agents against: (1) any liability, claims, causes of action, judgments, or expenses, including reasonable attorney fees, resulting directly or indirectly from any act or omission of any permit holder, anyone directly or indirectly employed by them, and anyone for whose acts or omissions they may be liable, arising out of the permit holder's use of the public right-of-way; and (2) all loss by the failure of the permit holder to fully or adequately perform, in any respect, all authorizations or obligations under the Permit.

See DIRECTOR’S RULE 06-2023 for more details and conditions.