In order to make more efficient use of resources and serve more riders, Metro is considering some changes to bus service in Renton.
Thanks to all who took part in our first round of outreach last fall—you gave us good feedback and we used it to revise our initial concepts into a set of proposals.
Now we’d like your feedback on these proposals before we make a recommendation to the King County Council for adoption.
What we heard… What we’re proposing…
More than 100 of you weighed in via our survey, public meetings, phone calls, or emails. Here are some of the results:
- 5 out of 10 respondents said they ride Route 105
- 6 out of 10 ride Route 110
- 4 out of 10 ride Route 155
- 3 out of 10 ride routes 908 and 909
- 3 out of 10 said they have a disability
- 1 out of 10 said they speak a language other than English at home
…About discontinuing Route 110
What we heard: Almost 80 percent said they like or could accept replacing Route 110 with service on the F Line because it would be a more efficient use of resources (reducing duplication and meeting more riders’ needs by having the F Line go to The Landing).
Some expressed concern about how much longer it might take to travel between the Sounder station and places of employment, such as the FAA and Paccar/Kenworth. We heard from several people who work at Paccar/Kenworth that they aren’t thrilled about having to walk from the F Line to their worksites. And some respondents said they were worried that the F Line might be overcrowded with Route 110 riders using it during peak commute times.
We’re still proposing to discontinue Route 110: The F Line will provide all-day, two-way service on a path similar to that of Route 110 between the Sounder Tukwila Station and the Renton Transit Center. The F Line will offer service every 10 minutes during peak hours, keeping wait times short at the Tukwila Sounder Station. The F Line’s articulated 60-foot buses will hold more riders, and travel times for most riders should be similar to what they have now on Route 110.
The main part of current Route 110 that would not be served by the F Line is along Park Avenue N. Riders traveling to and from this area would be able to transfer to routes 240, 342, 560, and 566 at the Renton Transit Center, or they could walk from nearby F Line stops. The F Line stops at N 6th Street and Logan or N 10th Street and Park Avenue N would be the closest stops to the Paccar and Kenworth Northwest employment sites. Vanpools are another option for connecting from the Sounder Tukwila Station and Renton Transit Center to businesses along Park Avenue N.
This change would allow us to distribute service more effectively by reducing duplication and reinvesting resources from a peak-hour-only route (current Route 110) into all-day service with higher ridership (the F Line).
…About converting Route 155 to DART service
What we heard: Almost 80 percent said they like or could accept converting Route 155 to DART service, with fixed-route service between Southcenter and Fairwood Center and service on request in Fairwood.
Some expressed concerns that it will be more complicated for Fairwood residents to access DART service; others expressed concerns about losing the “one-seat ride” to SeaTac airport that is currently provided by the interline of routes 155 and 156. Currently, every Route 155 bus trip continues past Southcenter as Route 156.
We’re still proposing to convert Route 155 to DART service: DART service offers variable routing in certain areas for customers who call in advance to reserve pick-up and drop-off locations and times. Route 155 would keep its current routing between Fairwood Center (140th Avenue SE/SE 177th Street) and Southcenter, and provide service upon request only to the area east of Fairwood Center. Service would be provided with a Metro DART van rather than a standard bus.
Riders would be able to request pick-up within the variable-service area by calling the DART reservation office at least two hours before the requested pick-up time. Pick-up reservations can be made for 30 days at a time, up to 30 days in advance, and reservations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Eastbound passengers could also ask their drivers to continue beyond Fairwood Center to let them off if they are traveling to a destination in the variable-service area.
This change would allow us to use resources more effectively by matching service to demand.
…About changes to routes 908, 909, and 105
What we heard: We heard support for rerouting Routes 105 and 909 (80 percent said they like or could accept these changes), but an equal number said they dislike or have concerns about discontinuing Route 908 because it serves transit dependent populations. We also heard concerns about changing the routing of Route 105. Currently, the route serves the Renton Housing Authority’s large complex at NE 16th Street and Kirkland Avenue NE, future development planned in the area, and the new Highlands Library being developed at NE 10th Street and Sunset Blvd SE. All of these point to a need for us to maintain bus service in a community with a higher level of transit dependency.
We’re not proposing any changes to routes 908 and 105, we are proposing to modify Route 909: We’re proposing to change Route 909 to operate further east on NE 7th Street to Monroe Avenue NE, NE 10th Street, and Sunset Boulevard NE, in order to provide better access to the Renton Housing Authority administrative office and Renton Technical College.
What do you think?
We’re asking for feedback on these proposals by Feb. 15. Take our online survey (available in alternate formats on request), call us at 206-263-9768, or email HaveASay@kingcounty.gov to comment.
Metro will use this second round of feedback to prepare a recommendation to King County Council. The King County Council will vote on these recommendations in April or May.
We’ll use this blog to keep you informed about the decision-making process. If you provide us with your name and email address when you take the survey, we’ll send you updates as new information becomes available.
155/156 line stops operating at 6pm, 101 has no late night trips, Valley Medical has no transit to anywhere useful to the north, all trips between useful pedestrian destinations are broken at Downtown Renton, buses make unnecessary detours and circling around congested streets of Downtown Renton… And all that Metro wants to do in Renton is to make 140 run every 10 minutes and be a bigger prettier bus? Downtown Renton is not a place to be without a car, and there is very little residential density, compared to the hills surrounding it. Now Metro is telling us that there are tons of people wanting to travel every 10 minutes between parking lots of Downtown Renton and parking lots of Southcenter? I have a hard time believing this. Most important destinations are missed by this line. Valley Medical, Renton City Hall, Renton Library, Renton Community Center, Aqua center, etc. all missed. This F line is only serving parking lots of Walmarts and alike. and who goes to walmart on a bus? Every 10 minutes? Long articulated bus? wow. There are more pedestrian friendly destinations along Main Ave, instead of Rainier Ave where most businesses are separated by mile long parking lots, except gas stations and fast foods… Who needs so much frequency to go to gas stations or taco bells? and from where?! Southcenter? Burien?! Don’t tell me Tukwila Sounder. That will be an insult lol. Metro planners somehow think that we all love transferring and detouring in DT Renton. ASK ANYONE, THEY HATE IT! Nobody wakes up on Benson Hill, or walk out of Valley Medical or Southcenter mall and wants to go to Downtown Renton. Landing is the same thing… how many people need to travel every 10 minutes between Southcenter and Landing? What Landing doesn’t have that Southcenter already has? Please Metro get a clue. Use money from this F(140) line between Southcenter and Renton to improve north-south corridors. Connect 140 and 105 as one route. much more productive and direct than transferring to an F line in miserable Downtown Renton. Improve 155/156 line up to the airport, NOT Southcenter. There are more people without cars needing to go to the airport area than to Southcenter. It’s just common sense. Consolidate routes into one route number so corridors are complete and not broken, you might even save money this way…
I can’t believe they are even thinking of splitting 155/156 line into 2 routes. Instead of completing the corridor, they will be ruining it. As if anyone who works in Seatac Airport or Valley Medical Center, places that provide free passes, really will consider transferring in Southcenter?! They must be insane in that planning department. Renton is an absolute mess for a transit rider, all to be sacrificial for the dysfunctional Renton Transit Center, and now for this F Line(the name says it all). Both dysfunctional beauty projects. Imagine 140 running every 15 minutes between big box stores of Dountown Renton and another big box mecca Southcenter. Both destinations cater exclusively for car commuters. Now imagine 140 being an articulated bus? Yes F Line will be a huge long bus. These large empty buses will just congest already congested streets of Renton. While miserable riders from Valley Medical still can not get anywhere north past dead Downtown Renton, Renton city hall still has no reliable service, and the Seatac Airport-Fairwood corridor that is currently served by 156/155 line will be cut into different routes in parking lots of Southcenter. At least cut 156/155 at the airport so it’s more directional for both routes, not to mention a much more civilized and meaningful transfer point where besides the airport riders can transfer to the light rail.
Delete F line between Tukwila and Downtown Renton… Don’t waste out tax dollars for pretty dysfunctional things. Get rid of Renton Transit Center terminus too, and extend all the buses that terminate there to a nearest meaningful destination or connect with another bus that terminates there and follows the same direction… Get a clue already! Nobody wants to circle around congested Downtown Renton on a bus just to transfer there to another bus. Shift routes to serve Renton City Hall, library and Renton Community Center via Grady-Main corridor instead of Rainier Ave big box stores with endless parking lots… Just stop pushing this 140 madness and think for a moment. Looking at the map would help too… You will see that no one will travel southwest to the light rail or sounder for a Seattle or airport commute when there are 101, 102, 143, 167, and 106, and 560 with direct service to those destinations…
Wll you are now getting to see what the rest of us that have been forced into riding these garbage rapid ride buses have been dealing with. I’m sure you don’t know half of what is coming your way yet. As for us on the C line better known in West Seattle as the crapid line has forced tons of people back into the cars. I see that metro claims ridership in West Seattle is up because of the c line yet the West Seattle bridge has become fuller as well. Sorry to tell you this yet metro is still got problems and upset riders from what drivers have told me on the A & B lines and now that we are forced onto the C & D lines there are alot of us that are not happy with these routes also and it is like whom ever is setting the stops has no cule as to where people truely need the stops to be at. Metro cut out the stops at the Rite Aid on California Ave SW where alot of people go to pick up their meds. Metro cut out the stops at Jefferson Sq, & and the QFC stores so the older riders and disabled riders living south of the Alaska Jct now have to walk 2 blocks to the store or more and then that same amount back carring all of the bags of stuff from the store. If they have one of the buggies to pack it all in then they now take up 3 or 4 seats because there is no room to put the cart they now have to use to go shoping. Just wanted you to know how we on the c line have to deal with the rapid line. Also there are less seats on the rapid ride as metro feels it is better that more people are standing on the bus from point a to point b.
“Metrorider” is correct in his post on 1 Feb. Metro does need to reconsider expanding hours of service for the 101. Also, Metro ought to proceed with the deletion of route 908. It has low ridership and the resources can be better utilized elsewhere within Renton.
I feel that Metro rapid line C is very bad and doesn’t meet the rules for riders with different and disabled as well as our older people in West Seattle. As anyone living south of the Alaska jct, are being told walk the 1 .5 to 2 blocks with all of your shopping bags as there are no buses that stop there anymore going south on California Ave SW. Yet there are 2 and maybe 3 going north on California Ave SW. I can see metro being looked at by a much bigger group of people soon if metro doesn’t look at this if anyone that is disabled or is older and falls because they now have to walk to the store or back it is on metro I feel as there is no service to the store for these people.
What you guys need to consider is extending service time for the 101. People who live in the areas that these decisions will affect aren’t the only ones deserving of adequate transportation.