We kept people and buses moving during the historic snowstorms last February – and winter again is knocking on our door – so it’s time to prepare and ALSO check out a contest and prizes we have to make things fun! (Do you like the Woodland Park Zoo penguins? More in a minute.)

This week, we relaunched a streamlined MetroWinter.com to help riders prepare before the flurries start to fly. There you can sign up for transit alerts in your community and find snow route maps and a refined Emergency Snow Network (for when the worst storms hit).

These same tools will be used to quickly guide riders to important information in the event of snow storms this winter.

Key point for transit riders who are new to the region: signing up for Transit Alerts for the bus routes in your community gives you the information and options you need if weather and roadway conditions force buses onto snow routes or cancel trips.

What’s better, what’s new?

  • Easier to find snow bus route information at MetroWinter.com
  • New printed snow brochures in English and Spanish
  • More bus routes added to the Emergency Snow Network, totaling about 65 core bus routes, DART routes and chained shuttles.

Perry and junior at the penguin exhibit

Win zoo prizes? Tell me how!

Have you seen our winter weather mascot Perry the Penguin? Now he’s teamed up with the Woodland Park Zoo to give away awesome prize packages on Metro’s Instagram (@kcmetrobus.)

Now through Dec. 9, we’ll be giving away weekly prizes from the zoo, including a grand prize of an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the penguin exhibit.

Be sure to follow @kcmetrobus on Instagram to stay up to date with this contest! There are TWO easy ways to enter:

  1. Go to MetroWinter.com and sign up for Transit Alerts between November 20 and December 9.
  2. Follow @kcmetrobus on Instagram and comment on our zoo contest posts telling us at least one way you’re preparing to get around this winter.

Each entry qualifies you to win that week’s prize as well as the grand prize. It’s that easy!

What can you win?

  • A trip to the Zoo, Metro-style: Four General Daytime Admission tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo and four round-trip tickets on King County Metro, plus Metro safety and stress relief gear. Enter by 5 p.m. Nov. 24 to be eligible for this prize.
  • Get your sparkle on at WildLights: Four tickets to the zoo’s holiday lights festival, open Nov. 29, 2019 – Jan. 5, 2020, plus four round-trip tickets on King County Metro and Metro safety and stress relief gear. Enter by 5 p.m. on Nov. 24 to be eligible for this prize.
  • Make it of-fish-al: Four passes to feed the penguins, admission to the zoo included, plus four round-trip tickets on Metro and Metro safety and stress relief gear. Enter after Nov. 26 and before 5 p.m. on Dec. 1 to be eligible for this prize.
  • Grand Prize – Get up close and personal: A behind-the-scenes penguin encounter for four! This exclusive prize will take you behind the scenes at the zoo’s Humboldt penguin exhibit. All entries in this contest from Nov. 20 through 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 are eligible for the grand prize.

Official contest rules

No purchase is necessary to enter. Entrants must be 18 years or older and U.S. residents. This contest is sponsored by King County Metro, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram. Employees of King County Metro and their immediate families are not eligible to enter. Limit two entries per week per person. This contest ends at 5 p.m Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. Winners will be chosen by random drawings as follows: prize #1 and #2 on Nov. 25, 2019; prize #3 on Dec. 2, 2019; and the  grand prize on Dec. 10, 2019. Winners will be notified via their Instagram accounts or email address/phone number used to sign up for Transit Alerts. Zoo passes may be either picked up at King County Metro or sent by USPS. King County Metro is not responsible for items lost by the USPS. Winning entries may be used by King County Metro for promotional purposes. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning determined by the number of entries.