(Editor’s note, 4/3/20: This blog post is now out-of-date and Metro has made additional service reductions.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.)
To better support the health of passengers and drivers and to promote social distancing, Metro is restoring some weekday bus trips on specific routes based on ridership.
Starting on the afternoon of Friday, March 27 and being fully implemented on Monday, March 30, Metro is restoring some weekday trips on routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 36, 43, 44, 49, 70, and 180, and on the RapidRide C, D, and E lines. All trips will be restored on the RapidRide A Line. On Route 13, the restoration includes the 5:14 a.m. northbound and 5:56 a.m. southbound trips.
Since launching a reduced weekday schedule on March 23, Metro has been monitoring passenger counts to see how ridership continues to evolve. Preliminary data was analyzed to see which routes exceeded our social distance capacity of 12 passengers on 40-foot coaches and 18 passengers on 60-foot coaches.
While ridership is down more than 70% systemwide as of March 25, some routes serving downtown have not seen as large of reductions. In response, Metro is adding back some individual trips on specific routes to help riders distance themselves from one another.
We continue to operate a reduced weekday schedule in response to low ridership and to ensure a resilient transit network. Our customer service office and our online tools are available for identifying trips that are operating.
Under the reduced weekday schedule that began on March 23, a few bus routes have been canceled completely and others remain unaffected. Most routes have some reduced service. Service on Saturdays and Sundays follows normal weekend schedules.
Routes continuing to be canceled, reduced or unaffected:
- Please visit the Reduced Schedule page
To identify whether a specific trip is operating, the following tools are available to customers:
- Call 206-553-3000 weekdays between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Ask @kcmetrobus on Twitter weekdays between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Text your stop ID to 62550 to find the immediate next departure time at your stop with Text for Departures
- Use the “Next Departure” feature in Metro’s Trip Planner website or app
Thank you for everything in these difficult times. I’m still having some trouble. I have to use the bus to get to the grocery store, for which I use a folding cart. When I’m getting back on the bus, from the rear, I cannot get past right where the door opens if there is luggage with the person seated near the door. My cart wheels easily enough so that I can either take it up a clear aisle (difficult b/c I have to turn it sideways and kind of lift it, but a clear aisle works). If the aisle isn’t clear, then I can wheel it in and out of the way if someone else with a grocery trolley needs to get by. But the 120 is a bus with heavy ridership for people who may have nowhere else to go, and the large suitcases block the passageway so I can’t get by with my grocery items, and in fact I to sit right next to the person. I’m hoping not to get sick after the last time. It is very helpful when the bus in question has two back doors. I prefer to enter and move all the way to the front anyway and don’t mind a little extra effort. Just something to think about; some routes are used more for people with stuff. Again, appreciate all you are doing to keep us riding in these difficult times.
Yesterday a friend told me that his wife had to get on a “totally packed” bus due to the reduced schedule. In my opinion, on its face, that’s a scandal. While the county executive is issuing orders telling businesses to cut their own financial throats to save lives, Metro (which apparently does not exactly answer to county the executive?!) cut bus service to save money during this pandemic, and thereby packed riders into buses?!? WTF?!? Somebody ought to investigate that decision. If I caught coronavirus from a packed bus, I Sue the county and everyone involved for as much as I could get, and I’d be right to do so.
Route 193, which transports essential hospital employees, needs all buses and larger buses running to allow for proper social distancing. We need to stay healthy so we can be available to care for patients.
Hi Sheila- Route 193 will continue to operate with reduced trips. You can find the trips that will no longer operate by selecting Route 193 from the drop-down menu on this webpage: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Is it still FREE to ride METRO or ACCESS bus/vans ?
Hi Mariline, yes Metro and Access are currently free to ride.
The first 158 out of kent went to a smaller bus….can’t do social distance now…not good.
Wheelchairs need to bring someone to strap them in because that’s to close for a driver. Because we don’t know who have the virus so Metro need to make this change to keep drivers safe. I have already spoken with Union VP and he agrees with this safety measure.
Are you providing PPE to the drivers?
Thank goodness. The # of people on my Rapid Ride E the other day was kind of scary.
Are there schedules available for the trips being operated? I could not find them
https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro.aspx
Metro website. Find schedules, plan trips and more.
You can find out which trips have been cancelled here: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/schedules-maps/reduced-schedule/canceled-trips.aspx
Thank you for doing this. its going to take everyone working together to get us through this safely, and its wonderful to see metro stepping forward to be a leader in these difficult times.
Too bad an Operator had to test positive before Metro would “step forward” to BEGAN taking protective measures for Metro’s Mission Critical Level-1 Employees/First Responders & Passengers/Customers!