But former King County Metro Director Chuck Collins advocates eliminating fares as a step toward alleviating congestion, along with smaller, more widely dispersed buses that can serve today's less-centralized commuting patterns.

"The return in ridership that you get for that, even though it is not a long-term solution, just makes too much sense not to do it," he said. Bellevue is considering a free stand-alone "circulator" service to ease traffic in its growing downtown core.