Seattle’s new NHL team will give every fan free transportation to games

Every single team should do this.

The world is still waiting to learn the name of Seattle’s upcoming NHL team, but details are already emerging on the city’s plan to support them. News broke Tuesday that Seattle will offer free public transportation to fans so they can attend games at the soon-to-be-built arena.

Fans will have the option to either take the bus or light rail free of charge with a ticket to the game, according to a report from Fast Company. It’s a move teams including the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns already offer to fans, and it makes so much sense that every sports city should take note.

Not only does offering free public transportation reduce congestion on city streets, but also reduces car-based pollution, discourages drunk driving, and makes generally eases the process of attending large-scale events.

In terms of the investment, it’s reported the Seattle NHL team will be footing the bill, minimizing the impact on the city and its residents outside of more crowded public transportation on game nights — a small price to pay considering the upside.

Cities everywhere need to rethink public transportation, and encouraging people to use it to travel to and from communal events is a great start. Thousands of people taking their own cars to stadiums for sporting events simply doesn’t make sense when there’s an easier, less expensive option that ameliorates environmental impact.

While Seattle’s NHL team isn’t the first organization to make free public transportation available to fans, it continues a trend that we should all celebrate.

Bravo, Seattle.