Taxis at Seattle King Street Station?

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Dustyroad

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 2, 2020
Messages
166
Does anyone know about available taxi's waiting for passengers at Amtrak King Station? We will need a taxi and don't know if they will be there waiting or if we have to call a company. And if not there waiting, what companies go there to hotels downtown Seattle. We will have to much luggage for the Monorail or bus.
Thanks for any tips and help.
 
There usually are taxis waiting there; however when I arrived at King Street Station on Tuesday there were none, possibly because the train was late. Since I had little luggage with me and I needed the exercise, I walked to my hotel a mile away. If that is your case you would have to call for one or for a rideshare such as Uber or Lyft. I would think any and all cab companies would take passengers to downtown hotels.
 
I’ve always found taxis waiting outside of King Street Station. Seattle is one of the few cities I use taxis instead of Uber. They are always clean, and the prices aren’t insane. In my experiences at least.
 
I last used taxis at King Street Station in Seattle in December 2019, so before COVID but well after fleets had been decimated by Uber. There were plenty of waiting taxis, but it was in the daytime. If you are arriving on the Coast Starlight and the train is late, there might be a shortage of taxis. For me, the answer is to stay at the Embassy Suites, just outside the door of the station. Here's a view from my room there in January, 2019, showing waiting taxis:


IMG_7476.jpeg
 
I last used taxis at King Street Station in Seattle in December 2019, so before COVID but well after fleets had been decimated by Uber. But it was in the daytime. If you are arriving on the Coast Starlight and the train is late, there might be a shortage of taxis. For me, the answer is to stay at the Embassy Suites, just outside the door of the station. Here's a view from my room there in January, 2019, showing waiting taxis:


View attachment 23810
I stayed at the Seattle Embassy Suites in December 2019 after arriving on the Coast Starlight and my view was very similar to yours. It was an easy walk across the street to my hotel and an easy walk back to the station the next day to catch the Empire Builder. The fact that it was raining was no problem. The Embassy Suites was a bit pricey, but since I had Hilton points, it was affordable. I even got upgraded to a giant corner room.
The first time I arrived in Seattle on the Coast Starlight was in September 2010 and I opted for a taxi to take me to my hotel less than a mile away (since it was dark and I did not know the city). There were plenty of taxis waiting. Every other time that I have arrived in Seattle, I have walked to my hotel (all of which were less than a mile away).
 
The last time I needed a taxi in Seattle (pre-covid), I found a modest row of them waiting as soon as I stepped outside, much as seen in the above photo --- and the cab driver had a text message up on his dashboard screen, telling him what time the Builder was arriving and how many passengers were aboard. I don't know where he got that information (from Amtrak vs. WADOT vs. someone at the station, and whether it is public or private info) but it meant the cabbies could decide for themselves how many were likely to be needed.

Taxis in general should be easy, either lined up or a quick call away. Rental cars are a real pain (and picking one up will begin with a taxi ride to the rental agency - the nearest is in the basement of a hotel about a mile north.)
 
Thank you all for your replies. They are very helpful. I forgot to mention we would be coming in on the Empire Builder which I understand is usually late.
 
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