Amazon invests in public transit, a key HQ2 issue

Seattle has an Amazon-branded
streetcar.
AP/Elaine
Thompson

• Amazon
  made a $1.5 million investment in bus infrastructure in
  Seattle.
• The investment will increase bus frequency on some
  routes that Amazon employees use to get to work.
• Public transit has been a big sticking point for cities
  as they fight for the chance to host Amazon’s second
  headquarters, HQ2.

Amazon
is making another major investment in public transit.

King County, Washington, announced last Wednesday that the online
retail giant would be investing $1.5 million in increasing bus
frequency in the area. The money will help to add 22 more weekday
bus trips for a period of two years on some of the city’s busiest
routes. That’s equal to room for 1,700 more riders.

“Adding 12,000 hours of additional bus service across the
county and city’s busiest routes will benefit all King County and
Seattle residents,” John Schoettler, head of real estate at
Amazon, said in a statement. “More than half of our
employees get to work in ways other than a single occupant
vehicle – including more than 20 percent that take the bus. We
are excited to see the increased capacity, and will continue to
work with Metro and the City of Seattle to find innovative
solutions that provide long-term transit options for the region.”

Amazon has paid for $60 million worth of public transit for its
employees since 2014. The company previously supported public
transit in the region by investing $5.5 million in Seattle’s

streetcar in 2012.

The company has stated that public transit is one of its
priorities for selecting a location for its second headquarters.
Earlier this year,
Axios reported that Amazon “froze out cities with poor public
transit” when the company selected its
shortlist of potential cities.

Amazon
has been blamed for contributing to traffic congestion in
Seattle as it has grown rapidly in the city. The company clearly
wants to avoid a repeat of the problem as it makes a fresh start
in a new city.