(Editor’s note, 4/3/20: This blog post is now out-of-date and Metro has made additional service reductions. Please go to kingcounty.gov/ReducedSchedule for the latest information.)
As our region continues to respond to COVID-19, King County Metro plans to temporarily move to a Reduced Schedule—which affects how often buses run and when they operate—starting Monday, March 23. Some bus routes will not operate and nearly all routes will see individual trip cancelations.
These service reductions are in response to significant drops in ridership, and are designed to maintain a resilient and sustainable transit system able to ramp back up when this chapter closes. We have no plans to reduce our current workforce. Many of Metro’s riders have heeded the steps advised by leaders and public health officials in recent weeks to limit the spread of novel coronavirus by avoiding traveling and teleworking. The ridership on Thursday, March 12 was 45% less than a comparable day in 2019—a reduction of 185,000 passengers.
While the majority of our passengers have other transportation options and choose transit, many of our colleagues, friends, and neighbors rely even more heavily—or perhaps exclusively—upon transit. We do not make these decisions lightly and have designed the reductions to maintain some service on as many routes as possible. We know that people rely on these routes to access medical care, grocery stores, and other vital services. We’re actively talking with community groups who represent populations likely to depend on transit, including those that represent customers with accessibility challenges. We will remain engaged with them to understand their mobility needs and determine how best to serve them during this time. More detail on service reductions will be shared by Friday, March 20.
During the last two weeks, Metro has moved quickly to respond to novel coronavirus. These planned service reductions follow our earlier public safety actions of transitioning to daily disinfection of coaches and transit vehicles/vessels; setting up a Department Operations Center to guide fast response; temporarily moving customer-facing sales and service operations to phone and online; and suspending fare enforcement inspections. However, as Executive Constantine and Gov. Jay Inslee shared last week, additional steps have become necessary to encourage social distancing and to limit social interactions in order to save lives.
“It is time, right now, for people to assume that they and everyone they meet is infected, to avoid any unnecessary interactions that might lead to further infection, and to wait and monitor to see if they have in fact been infected so that they can isolate and recover without presenting a risk to others,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Go to work if you must. But hunker down if you are able. Postpone anything you can. Treat the next two weeks as a period of self-quarantine, to protect yourself and the lives and health of your loved ones and the entire community.”
We acknowledge the inconvenience these changes will cause to riders and thank them for their patience and consideration of others during this unprecedented time. Amid the evolving public health situation, Metro is committed to keeping our customers informed, continuing to listen to the community, and providing transit service in a safe, equitable way.
Most studies suggest that the nearest vaccines for the disease are atleast 12 to 18 months away. Social and economic impact are yet to be assessed. Though it is believed it might take another year for the world to completely recover on a health as well as economic front.
I agree that boarding and exiting by the rear doors is a good idea but I have difficulty doing that because I have short shins and weak shoulders. Also, the rear portion of the bus is nearly always farther away from the curb than the front portion, and doesn’t kneel like the front. What shall I do when I need to take a bus to medical appointments?
How can you people be so SELFISH AND UNCARING about the drivers, bus cleaners, mechanics – the workers on the front lines !!!!!! Where is your compassion!!!! Not once are you taking into consideration THEIR well being, their lives, their families lives. All you do is whine and complain about YOUR consequences of the sacrifices that are NECESSARY to make – human lives FIRST, that is the PRIORITY. Reading your self absorbed, me me me, comments is a validation of how awful humanity can be in the face of crisis…… instead rise above it and think what can you do to HELP, IMPROVE, KEEP SAFE, your fellow people who have been serving YOU!!! You put them down now????!!! During a time of sadness, loss, uncertainty. Disgraceful. Don’t tell me you have to get to work….. FIGURE IT OUT!
Make due, make a sacrifice, rely on someone who may be able to help- however with your disposition you probably don’t have a circle of people who may lend a hand because you are so one sided in your thinking and level of empathy. Are you that unaware that you don’t see all the changes in life now, well this reduced bus schedule is one of them. Are you so self centered that you think that this decision was made to purposely anger you ? NO, hard decisions are being made because we have a PANDEMIC for the first time in the life we are living and figuring it out. Dig down deep and Apologize, thank a driver, do a kind act for someone today .
how can i feel sorry for a bus driver that every time i got in the bus he acted like ass****and showed no respect for his riders!!!
When can we get a bus schedule of the reduced service? Ridiculous! We already make sacrifices riding public transit now this. In the Crisis they hang US out to dry. Nice king county Metro. Nice.
The latest information on the reduced service schedule can be found here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
The webpage contains directions for using the trip planner and how to text for a stop’s next departure.
Hi Karin,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
hey man, brother! those people running metro lock imagination..every 3 months make things worse for us the every day riders
amen brother!!
I posted this on Facebook and I’ll say it again here. King County Metro Transit You suck!, I ride my local route (47) over 500 times a year, 2 times a day, 5 days a week, for 50 weeks and have done so for 15 years, with a few other trips thrown in here and there. Starting Monday you are cancelling service to my neighborhood. I still have a job to get to and rely on your service, please reconsider your actions and how it negatively effects the community.
Thank you Metro for at least running. Cutbacks is better than none at all. I also want to thank the bus driver for willing to come to work so I can go to work too. Folks who are expressing concern, I am sure that most employers will accommodate the bus changes during this pandemic. We need to do OUR part to help. This means if you are feeling symptoms or was around someone who tested positive, stay home. Remember to wash, wash, wash your hands and do your best to stop touching your face, you are protecting yourself, others and the bus driver as well.
I rely on public transportation as well and I hope that the 372 does not change.
Route 372 will continue to operate with fewer trips.
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
please dont cut 107/106, thats the only transportation i have to go to kaiser clinic to work..
Routes 106 and 107 will continue to operate with fewer trips.
So service is being reduced or eliminated, yet the taxes people pay will continue despite this lack of service? Can I get a refund on my $99 monthly pass since you won’t provide service? Contractually Metro is obligated to pay for the service it promised it would provide when it collected the money for my pass. This sounds like theft. Between not enforcing fare payment, late buses (or ones that simply don’t show up), canceled trips … I’m done with Metro. Inconsistent, expensive, always some excuse
Quit being so selfish during this difficult time. Your attitude doesn’t help anyone. What about the drivers?? A lot of them have to take care of kids that are not going to school, and some are immunocompromised themselves. This is bigger than you.
Oh Jane, don’t be so naive, we are entitled to refunds if services are not provided.
Please don’t reduce service on the 22.
Please don’t reduce service. Less buses means more riders per bus. This will increase the risk of spreading the virus because we will be in very close proximity of one another each ride. Low income communities, including myself, rely on public transportation and you are increase are risk of exposure and infection. Reducing bus access is also going to make it harder for people to get to-and-from work during this very stressful period. The economic shortcomings during this period should not come at the expense of those most in need of support.
Hi, Lizzy – The Route 22 schedule will not be changed at this time. You can find more information about the temporary service cuts here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx.
Please don’t reduce service, having fewer people on buses allows us to keep a safe distance apart. Some of us need to get into the office at times and the commuter buses allow faster trips with less potential for contact than the slower local buses. (Don’t get rid of the 311 thinking we would want to take the 522)
Route 311 will continue to operate on a reduced schedule, meaning either fewer trips or not as early in the morning/late in the evening. You can find more information about the temporary service cuts here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx.
Please keep buses that go to UW Medical Center running on a full schedule!
How are healthcare workers supposed to get to work?
wrong time to reduce service and cause overcrowding. how is service reduction keeping us more safe then?
Can a note be added to the post that tells us when Metro will release the list of reduced routes ? Cuz right now, this announcement just sounds shadowy and ominous.
The latest information on reduced service can be found here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
As long as they keep the 40 and E, D, C Lines I can get through this…
All of these routes will continue to operate. There are some trip reductions, but the large majorityof trips will continue to operate.
will there be a full listing of what buses tomorrow and schedules? i take the 168 in kent in the early mornings. i take the 158 or the 159 or the 168 in the evening to get home. i take these buses to get me to or from the sounder buses. i know we have to make sacrifices but i hope you up date all the routes so it is clear to us. i take three buses to get to Redmond or Bothell three times a week. if the sounder people are planning on doing the same thing i hope they publish too. that will be my next stop to check on the sounder bus schedule.
i enjoy the bus and we all need to sacrifice something.
Hello Reginald- the latest information on reduced service can be found here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
Route 158, 159, and 168 will continue to operate. Trips on Routes 158 and 159 have been reduced, but Route 168’s schedule will remain largely unchanged.
Hi Reginald,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Put caution tape across the aisle back of the disabled seating (so wheelchairs can still get on) and have all able bodied passengers get on through the back doors! This keeps the drivers from being exposed to the coughs, close-talking and sneezing of hundreds of people per day! Just enact a rear-door boarding policy to prevent this., Once a driver is infected, they will be spreading the virus to everyone who comes in the front door. YOU SPREAD THIS FOR DAYS or A WEEK OR MORE BEFORE KNOWING YOU ARE SICK
We are three homebound high risk seniors with health issues and a younger member of the household who commutes to work by bus. We are so afraid she will bring a virus home every day and deliberately making the buses more crowded does not help. We are already worried sick.
please don’t do this. My son is a 2nd shift nurse at Harborview Medical Center. He relies on buses to get to work. there is no where to park downtown at hospital.
I’ve never had trouble parking at Harborview… They can waive the payment
never true! doubly so now
Forced with making cuts to the schedules, let’s keep them mid day when most people would not need them. Morning and late afternoon cuts would be a disaster.
Please don’t reduce the 257. I need to get to work from Kirkland to Seattle. Please reconsider this plan. Less busses mean more people together!!
Route 257 trips will be reduced from 13 trips to 10 daily trips. I recommend the resources at the bottom of this webpage for more details: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
People are already stressed out with the current situation. Having reduced bus service is another added stress for those who rely on public transportation. Now, they have to figure out what time to catch the next bus and which bus stop to go. I think maintaining the regular bus schedule for now is appropriate.
Please consider rear door entry only, to maximize social distancing for drivers.
Agreed because they’ll take the virus home to their families and communities as well as expose passengers who come in the front door before they even know they’re sick. Social distancing needs to be enforced on the buses for drivers. The homeless who ride these buses all day and night, hopping on and off multiple buses per day will also be speading this to other passengers, the police who have too remove them eventually and the drivers.
Please keep the 255 running – especially the late night run. I work graveyard shift for the United States Postal Service in Kirkland. I need to be able to get to work and back.
As of March 24, Route 255 is still running, with less than 10% of trips cancelled. The trips cancelled are during peak periods when frequency is highest, and do not impact the early or late night trips.
How can you cut service and also make sure that there isn’t crowding on the buses? There shouldn’t be crowded buses at a time like this.
Please don’t make this change! We need our nurses and doctors and grocery store people to be able to get to work easily. By cutting service the remaining busses will be more full. Isn’t this the wrong time to increase density?
If at all possible please continue the 347 even if it’s on a Sunday schedule.
We really appreciate all of your efforts to keep us safe and well informed.
Route 347 will continue with similar levels of service, with only about 8% of trips no longer operating.
Hi Neil,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Please keep the 348 running so i can go to Northgate & back.
Route 348 will not have reduced service.
Please keep the 167 routes between Renton and UW. Almost every rider is essential UW Hospital staff.
Route 167 will only have 1 trip that is no longer operating.
We need a route from Kirkland TC to Totem Lake that operates until at least 11, otherwise this Evergreen hospital technician can’t get work – night shift already severely understaffed.
All Route 255 trips now go to Totem Lake. You can use Route 255 to get from Kirkland TC to Evergreen.
If you’re cutting service, please try to keep the 303, 63, and 64 running during the morning and evening hours, since all three routes service the First Hill hospital areas. We need our medical people to be able to get to work to keep he rest of us safe.
Routes 63, 64, and 303 will continue to operate, but will see reduced service in the commute hours. Please see the following webpage for additional information and trip planning tools: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
Please consider keeping routes 311 and 257! Reducing routes does not allow for social distancing, and adds stress and anxiety in an already challenging time. My workplace is still operating, and with spring changes being implemented on March 21st, service in the Woodinville, Kirkland, and Bothell area are already being impacted due to the elimination of the 255.
Both Routes 257 and 311 will continue to operate. Please see the following webpage for additional information and trip planning tools: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
Please keep the #248 (soon to be # 250) running! I use it to get to work, and my work involves caring for a heard of 30+ horses. Horse care is not a work from home option!
The new Route 250 is running, with reduced trips. Even with reduced trips, however, it still has many more trips per day than the 248 did. I think you will like this new route.
Ditto for previous comment on UW Essential personnel, who – closed campus or not need to get to work. Please keep 372 running.
Thanks!
Hi Leon- Route 372 will continue to operate. While the route will have reduced service, it will still operate 90% of it’s service.
Hi Leon,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Please reconsider. Not everyone has the option to work from home or alternate transportation. We rely on medical professionals and grocery store clerks and they need to get to work. People need groceries and medicine and we need the access to transportation for these things. Please keep the 240 running. I take the first bus out and do not have other options.
Route 240 will continue to run 85% of its service. The first trip in both direction will continue to operate.
Please keep the 60 running, my work is still open and I do not have a car.
Route 60 will continue operating on its normal schedule. You can find more information about the temporary service reductions here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx.
Please consider essential personnel employees, (medical and campus operations) for the University of Washington. We rely on the 167 to get to work everyday. Thank you
Hi Shannon- the Route 167 will continue most of its service. Only one trip will no longer operate.
Please keep routes 257, 311, and 252. Since metro is already making changes/discontinuing route 255, I rely on these three bus routes at this time since I am among those who are not able to work from home.
Hi Ann- all of these routes will continue to operate with reduced service. Please see the following webpage for more information and trip planning tools: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
Hi Ann,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Please reconsider. You are going to take those of us trying to keep the city running and force them in closer to eachother.
Will King County Metro still be paying the operators a full 40 hours a week if their routes and runs get cut? To date KCM has not offered any pay relief to sick or at risk operators forced to self isolate, other than using up their personal sick and vacation time/pay.
What are you doing to protect the operators other then cleaning the buses once a day? I know they were given a personal small sanitizer bottle, but that’s all so far. They are allowed to stay home without pay even if they are sick, unless someone donates time to them. Basically encouraging them to work regardless. It’s obvious that there is a great need for them, but I’d still like to know my spouse is being protected while he does his job as well.
Nothing. On any bus there are usually disturbed people who wander on and they deliberately break any rules like social distancing, too. Once one of those disturbed people gets this virus, it’s going to be spread throughout King County. Making everyone enter and exit the rear doors is a good idea.
Metro drivers are the second highest paid drivers in the world behind Boston. Many making six figures. The info is online and you can look it up. Hopefully they have been putting some of that money away instead of buying new boats. It appears that for the first time, Metro drivers may not have the union to hide behind and will become a normal, vincible human beings. Millions of service workers that barely make minimum wage are now without a job. They had no opportunity to save for a rainy day. Most don’t have vacation or sick time they can use. But here is a list of metro workers saying that they are special and that the tax payer should make sure they are able to maintain their cushy jobs and standard of living. Or even better, according to Christina, get a full salary from the tax payer for doing nothing. And yes. Almost everyone working to keep things running and take care of the sick are at risk. Welcome to the real world. Use up your vacation, sick leave, unpaid leave, liquidate that 90″ 4k TV and stop whining. It’s not all about you.
When will the changes be posted?? I need to know if I’ll be affected sooner than later
Details will be posted on Friday. Check back towards the end of the day.
Hi Lisa, the information on reduced service can be found here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule.aspx
Hi Lisa,
You can check which trips have been cancelled on each route on this page: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx