Preliminary ridership data from the past three weeks show that transit riders are increasingly following the direction of public health officials to limit travel and to telework if possible.
King County Metro analyzed preliminary extrapolations to create an unofficial estimate of ridership. Bus ridership on Friday, March 20 was down an estimated 62%. This represents 238,000 fewer daily rides, from about 385,000 at this time in 2019 to 147,000 on Friday, March 20. On average, March 16-20 saw an average weekday bus ridership of 160,000 compared to 403,000 in 2019, or a 60% drop in ridership.
Similarly, the dip was estimated to be about 66% fewer riders on Metro’s Access paratransit service as demand decreased and some destination facilities closed. Water taxi routes also are seeing significantly reduced ridership, approximately 90% since the beginning of the month.
As of March 23, we are operating a reduced schedule of transit service. Metro canceled several routes while maintaining service on most routes to serve customers who rely on transit during our health crisis. The “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order from Gov. Inslee announced March 23 gives further guidance to the public to avoid traveling except under specific circumstances.
Metro recently took further steps to support the health of the community and Metro employees by eliminating fare collections, requiring riders to board and exit at the back door, and reserving the front door for riders who need assistance boarding and exiting.
Our commitment is to the safety of our community and we appreciate your support as you follow the guidance to “Stay Home, Stay Healthy.”
| King County Metro bus ridership
*Unofficial ridership estimates are preliminary and based on samples and extrapolations |
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| Date | Baseline (2019) | Current (2020) | Change |
| 3/2/2020 | 416,885 | 389,103 | -7% |
| 3/3/2020 | 430,822 | 396,544 | -8% |
| 3/4/2020 | 425,431 | 381,634 | -10% |
| 3/5/2020 | 411,763 | 344,562 | -16% |
| 3/6/2020 | 399,641 | 301,111 | -25% |
| 3/9/2020 | 408,494 | 283,259 | -31% |
| 3/10/2020 | 417,616 | 275,642 | -34% |
| 3/11/2020 | 424,583 | 269,362 | -37% |
| 3/12/2020 | 415,904 | 230,570 | -45% |
| 3/13/2020 | 397,707 | 207,253 | -48% |
| 3/16/2020 | 404,158 | 181,732 | -55% |
| 3/17/2020 | 410,204 | 163,519 | -60% |
| 3/18/2020 | 413,908 | 159,033 | -62% |
| 3/19/2020 | 403,555 | 149,350 | -63% |
| 3/20/2020 | 384,736 | 146,983 | -62% |
| Key affected King County Metro routes – Average weekday ridership *Unofficial ridership estimates are preliminary and based on samples and extrapolations |
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| Week | Route | Baseline (2019) | Current (2020) | Change |
| March 16-20 | 7 | 11,029 | 6,818 | -38% |
| March 16-20 | 36 | 9,398 | 4,519 | -48% |
| March 16-20 | 40 | 12,693 | 4,378 | -66% |
| March 16-20 | 44 | 8,384 | 3,123 | -63% |
| March 16-20 | 70 | 8,681 | 2,804 | -68% |
| March 16-20 | 120 | 8,621 | 4,558 | -47% |
| March 16-20 | RapidRide A Line | 9,448 | 6,695 | -29% |
| March 16-20 | RapidRide C Line | 11,821 | 3,989 | -66% |
| March 16-20 | RapidRide D Line | 14,047 | 6,125 | -56% |
| March 16-20 | RapidRide E Line | 17,111 | 9,513 | -44% |
| King County Metro Water Taxi ridership (2020) | |
| Feb. 24 | 1,910 |
| Feb. 25 | 1,982 |
| Feb. 26 | 1,962 |
| Feb. 27 | 2,043 |
| Feb. 28 | 1,540 |
| March 2 | 1,778 |
| March 3 | 1,892 |
| March 4 | 1,739 |
| March 5 | 1,383 |
| March 6 | 838 |
| March 9 | 958 |
| March 10 | 936 |
| March 11 | 845 |
| March 12 | 686 |
| March 13 | 452 |
| March 16 | 370 |
| March 17 | 274 |
| March 18 | 271 |
| March 19 | 262 |
| March 20 | 208 |
| March 23 | 173 |
Why aren’t there any schedules posted for the reduced service? You must know what you plan to operate.
Why implement the forced transfer to Link for route 255 riders when Link is only running every 14 minutes and riders prefer to minimize contacts with others?
Is there an objective to suppress ridership further?
Information on trip reductions can be found here: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx