Optional monthly reserved parking permits for the Mercer Island Station Park and Ride became available for sale through Sound Transit (ST) in December and started going into affect in January 2020. The lot is often fills before 7 a.m. on weekdays, and scoring a spot can be tricky — especially if someone can’t make it there before 7 a.m.

ST will only sell permits for up to half of the 447 stalls (224 spaces). Further, ST will only reserve spots as they are sold.

The monthly cost for a single occupant vehicle (SOV) permit is $120, and a carpool permit is free. Adjusted rates are available for low-income qualifying drivers.

A high demand for the permits was expected because they might offer some folks more certainty.

For the month of February, 54 SOV permits and 24 carpool permits were sold as of Feb. 7.

Rachelle Cunningham, public information officer for ST, had previously provided data on permit sales as of Dec. 16. At that point, there were 93 total applications for parking permits of all types.

Of the 93 applications, 76 were of the 98040 zip code (Mercer Island), 50 were approved single occupant vehicle (SOV) permits, seven were pending SOV permits, seven were approved carpool permits, and 12 were pending carpool permits.

Passes renew monthly and each person must use transit at least 12 days per month.

Ross Freeman, city communications manager, previously told the Reporter he thought the permits could be particularly helpful to anyone unable to arrive at the facility earlier than 7 a.m.

“It’s hard to predict,” he said. “But I assume they will be very popular.”

He said the city frequently hears the community desiring more parking options, and that is something the city is working on.

The Mercer Island Station Park and Ride is identified as one of ST’s 14 busiest lots.

To learn morego online to www.soundtransit.org/permitparking.