Testing What Works—Vinyl Seats for the Win

In Washington state, Sound Transit is rolling out new vinyl seats across its Link light rail vehicles after testing rider preferences. Passengers have regularly shared concerns about the cleanliness of fabric seats. In response, the agency rolled out a pilot program to test an alternative.

The pilot began in 2024, when the agency installed vinyl seats on 10 Link vehicles and compared them with cloth seats on a group of 10 similar cars. More than 2,300 passengers provided input through an onboard QR code survey. Vinyl seats outperformed cloth across all metrics—cleanliness, comfort, and appearance—receiving an average satisfaction score of four out of five, compared with three for cloth.

From an operational standpoint, vinyl seats require less maintenance, reducing cleaning hours by approximately 12.5 percent per vehicle. They are durable, cost less per unit, and may not need to be replaced as often.

Based on the results, Sound Transit began introducing vinyl seats across the system in 2024. In the coming months, riders will see even more vinyl seats as replacement efforts continue. The updated seating not only elevates the rider experience but also supports more efficient and consistent maintenance.

Read more about rider preferences, the pilot program, and results on the Sound Transit’s blog, The Platform.