No “one size fits all” approach to transit can meet every community’s needs. So we’re working with communities in southeast King County to find transportation options that will better meet the needs of residents and riders than regular bus service.
In April 2015, we asked for feedback about how people use transit service, what barriers they face, and how local service could be improved. Then we worked with local partners to design some alternative service concepts to address some of the needs people told us about. We heard public feedback about these concepts in May 2015, and used that feedback to finalize a set of proposals we’re moving forward with. Learn more on Metro’s website.
The King County Council is currently considering some of these proposals involving changes to routes 907 and 915, which the public helped us design.
- Route 907 would be shortened to run only between the Renton Transit Center and Black Diamond.
- Route 907 would have increased service, with buses coming every hour.
- The current Route 907 DART deviation area in Renton would be removed.
- Route 915 would be extended from Griffin Avenue and Wells Street to McDougal Avenue (to serve the Enumclaw part of current Route 907).
If these changes are adopted, they will be made in March 2017. Related changes would include the following:
- A demand-response service connection between Black Diamond and Enumclaw (expected to begin service in the first quarter of 2017).
- A campaign to distribute ORCA fare cards and educate Route 907 riders to help Enumclaw residents make use of transfers between Metro and Sound Transit service in Auburn and the new demand-response service between Enumclaw and Black Diamond. (This would take place before the March 2017 service change.)
Stay tuned for additional services in 2017:
- We’re developing an emergency-ride-home program. If riders miss their connecting routes in Renton or Auburn during evenings or weekends when fixed-route service is not available, this service would provide the last leg of the trip to get them home. The service could be provided by taxis or by transportation network companies such as Uber or Lyft. Riders would have to preregister for the program.
- We’re partnering with the cities of Covington, Maple Valley, and Black Diamond to provide connections between and within these communities. Metro will provide a community transportation coordinator and vehicles that the cities would operate. Trips will be determined by the communities served and provided by screened, volunteer drivers.
- We’re promoting Metro VanPool, VanShare, and TripPool. We’re working with local partners to increase ride sharing with new outreach, education, and incentives, and partnering with interested cities to develop specific program approaches to meet community needs.
Visit the King County Council’s Transportation Environment and Economy Committee website for more information about how to participate as the current legislation makes its way through the council approval process.
This “Consideration” is well overdue. The South East King County has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years. The lack of service in the area has participated in the excess traffic mess created on HWY 169 and 405.
It would be foolish to ignore the fact that SE King County is growing with all the new developments and housing and that Metro needs to step up along with WSDOT and Sound Transit to work together to enhance this region. Less people bother to use mass transit in these areas because of the severely limited transit options available. The ONLY options are 143/907 and 168 and NO direct lines to Bellevue which is a major job center. You NEED a car to get around. This is why all this traffic volume in this area is high. Along with all the commercial and construction trucks that come through the area, the volume keeps climbing and delays bus times. You need a car to get around!
Commuting to Seattle is severely limited in that you have to get up extremely early to catch the 143 into Seattle and also have to leave Seattle early in order to catch the 143 back to Maple Valley and Black Diamond. Last 143 bus out of Seattle is 5:39pm really??? Otherwise you have to add another hour to your commute by having to take the 168. The 168 Line is a joke in that a 30 minute car ride from MV 4 Corners to Kent Station is over an hour by bus during rush hour.
I offer the following suggestions:
– BRT line for Route 516 especially for morning and evening rush hour traffic.
– 2 more 907 routes added between 1:54pm and 3:24pm.
– A local Metro shuttle route that services Covington, MV, Ravensdale and BD would be great.
– Eventual rail service on the BNSF Stampede line.