(Editor’s note: Routes were further reduced April 18. See details at Reduced Schedule route list.)
As the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt across our community, King County Metro will further reduce bus service on Monday, April 6, to focus operations on a core 115 Metro and Sound Transit routes, and reduced water taxi and Link light rail service.
The revised Reduced Schedule identifies routes that will operate with fewer trips and hours. This updated schedule will maintain vital lifelines for access to critical supplies, services, and worksites across the region.
Overall, Metro will operate with approximately 37% fewer buses, 30% fewer transit operators, and 19% fewer service trips than typical weekday service. Water taxi and Link light rail service reductions also will be made.
“For those who do not have the option of staying at home, we continue to do all that we can to support you and the region with reliable public transportation,” said King County Metro General Manager Rob Gannon. “Transit is a critical lifeline for people to make essential trips to access food, medicine, and key facilities. Our operators and front-line staff are among the region’s true heroes for the ongoing service they provide.”
The upcoming April 6 Reduced Schedule is among the latest steps in Metro’s response to COVID-19. On March 23, Metro reduced service operate with approximately 20-25% of its typical weekday coaches and operators. That first service reduction helped maintain a sustainable transit agency amid ridership that had already dropped by more than half, with residents heeding the counsel of leaders and public health officials. Ridership has fallen further since then and is now more than 70% lower than a year ago. Based on preliminary analysis, these further service reductions beginning April 6 will serve more than 90% of current riders who continue to make essential trips on transit in King County during COVID-19.
Supporting our workforce
Metro’s service adjustments are designed to provide a viable transit network and service level in the face of lower ridership, and to prepare Metro for the potential workforce availability challenges.
An estimated 75% of Metro’s operations employees are available to report to work in support of bus service, which represents a slight decrease compared to before COVID-19’s emergence. Some drivers, mechanics and front-line staff are temporarily not available to work either due to their own health reasons or to support that of their families. King County has paid leave resources in place to support employees who are not available to work at this time.
In early March, Metro started to daily sanitization of buses, and later took further steps to support social distancing by implementing rear-door boarding, suspending fare collections, and installing “safety straps” to reserve the front of the bus for passengers requiring priority seating. Metro also is moving to obtain and distribute masks for all frontline staff in the coming days.
UPDATED REDUCED WEEKDAY SCHEDULE
(Saturday and Sunday schedules remain unchanged. Service is provided in partnership with the City of Seattle.)
Routes with most or all trips operating (34 routes with 2 or fewer trips canceled)
RapidRide A Line, 22, 60, 63, 64, 71, 73, 105, 106, 118, 119, 128, 131, 148, 164, 166, 168, 193, 221, 269, 303, 309, 331, 345, 348, ST 554, 628 (Snoqualmie Community Shuttle), 631 (Burien Community Shuttle), 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 916
Routes with fewer trips and/or reduced hours of operation (81 routes and services)
RapidRide B, C, D, E and F lines, and routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 62, 65, 67, 70, 75, 101, 107, 120, 124, 132, 150, 153, 156, 169, 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 204, 225, 226, 230, 231, 239, 240, 241, 245, 249, 250, 255, 271, 346, 347, 372, 373, ST Express routes 522, 542, 545, 550, route 635 (Des Moines Community Shuttle), 915, 917, Water Taxi West Seattle and Vashon routes, First Hill Streetcar, Link light rail
Routes, services, and programs fully cut (104 routes and services, updated to add Route 197)
- 5X, 9, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21X, 29, 37, 47, 55, 56, 57, 74, 76, 77, 78, 102, 111, 113, 114, 116, 121, 122, 123, 125, 143, 154, 157, 158, 159, 167, 177, 178, 179, 186, 190, 192, 197, 200, 208, 212, 214, 216, 217, 218, 219, 224, 232, 237, 246, 252, 257, 268, 301, 304, 308, 311, 312, 316, 330, 342, 355, ST 541, ST 555, ST 556, 630 (Mercer Island Community Shuttle), 773, 775, 823, 824, 886, 887, 888, 889, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 907, 910, 913, 930, 931, 952, 980, 981, 982, 984, 986, 987, 988, 989, 994, 995
- Black Diamond/Enumclaw Community Ride, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Community Ride, Normandy Park Community Ride, Sammamish Community Ride, Juanita Area Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride, Via to Transit, South Lake Union Streetcar
Other service updates starting April 6
Link light rail trips will adjust to 20-minute headways from previous 14-minute headways on Monday.
Water taxi crews will operate one vessel for six roundtrip sailings per weekday; service on shuttles 773 and 775 are discontinued.
Revised King County Metro Water Taxi weekday sailing schedule Effective April 6, 2020 |
|||
Pier 50 | West Seattle | Pier 50 | Vashon Island |
5:55 a.m. | 6:15 a.m. | 6:38 a.m. | 7:10 a.m. |
8:50 a.m. | 9:10 a.m. | ||
4:45 p.m. | 5:05 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | 5:58 p.m. |
6:45 p.m. | 7:05 p.m. |
Seattle Streetcar operates on a reduced schedule
- First Hill Streetcar operates with 15-minute headways Monday to Saturday during reduced service hours, 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. There are no changes to service hours on Sundays and holidays: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- South Lake Union Streetcar discontinued service beginning March 23 and until further notice.
Community Van trips for essential needs such as foodbank runs will continue as long as it is feasible and there are volunteer drivers available and willing to drive in the following communities:
- Bothell / Woodinville / UW Bothell
- Duvall
- Kenmore / Kirkland
- Lake Forest Park / Shoreline
- Sammamish
- Vashon
Access paratransit program continues normal operations and follows its enhanced daily sanitization procedures.
Relevant links
- Reduced Schedule webpage
- COVID-19 updates on the Metro Matters blog
Renton’s desire to host a COVID-19 vaccine research and manufacturing facility. … facility in the Seattle Metro area and in Washington state. Public Transit is an essential service and OC Bus will continue operating current …
I feel that by cutting down on when buses run we are putting others at risk. This means more people on the buses especially on evening commutes. in the morning it seems ok.
This is very bad news for us West Seattle healthcare workers who need to get downtown each morning especially given the West Seattle bridge is closed. Reopening bus routes/stops and/or Water Taxi during the 7-8 o’clock hours seems reasonable and would be very helpful.
Since everyone is put at risk by all the non-essential trips by homeless and others who have nothing better to do, it would work out best to get lists of those health care and essential workers and provide modified shuttles just to pick them up and no one else. This is especially true at night when it stores are closed and it appears no one is going to or from work but are just riding back and forth coughing and sleeping…
Provide bright green cards for essential workers to hold up to get on the buses. Stores are closing early so there is no reason other than work to be getting on a bus at midnight. Make it a call to ride for now. Make this more like school buses where only specific people are allowed onto the bus. That cuts down on the unnecessary risks to everyone of all the non-essential trips by people who are just bored and lonely and coughing with no masks on… It would help to require everyone to wear masks on the buses.
The main focus of this article was King County Metro but the heading of this article included Sound Transit but only a select few of Sound Transit routes were spoken about. What are the essential employees that live further south in King, Pierce and further counties going to do about information pertaining to their specific routes when Sound Transit’s website has been extremely useless before and during this pandemic? What about the different routes like 577, 578, 590, 592 and 594, what are the schedule changes for these specific routes because in this article they are never mentioned?
Hello,
The Sound Transit routes mentioned in the article are ones that are currently operated by Metro.
You can find out more about overall Sound Transit trip reductions here: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/service-alerts/temporary-fare-suspension-service-reductions-0
They sure make it sound like they really care to the public but in reality they can care less!
The reason mechanics are now at home is because they’ve been exposed and management lied to them.
The only reason why they are able to be paid while at home is because the feds stepped up !
so they can stop acting like they are doing so much for the front liners because they are not!
Just a bunch of over paid liars.
Anonymous
Just another example of the lack of metro caring about the east side riders, there is no way to get from Bothell , Woodinville to south lake union without taking 4 buses, because of the last cuts in service. Why should eastsiders ever vote for any funds for the company that justs takes and continues to reduce services to the east side.
I dont see where the sound transit buses are cut. where do I find out if my 510 is running
Per Sound Transit’s website: ST Express routes 510, 511, 512, 513, 532 and 535 are running on a reduced weekday schedule that preserves the overall span of service but at a reduced frequency for select trips.
More about ST service reductions here: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/service-alerts/temporary-fare-suspension-service-reductions-0
Thank you for your service. I am new to Seattle. Before moving from Atlanta, in January, I sold my car with the intention of walking or using public transportation. Who knew? I am in the Healthcare field and appreciate the work that all public employees have to endure. I was the only person on the bus Friday morning and it kept on going. Thank you for the personal attention!
Please remove me from these messages.
Late Friday posting does not give anyone time to adjust our work schedules. I work in healthcare in downtown and and live on Vashon. Water taxi cuts were a footnote in this update, but a disaster for me at a time of already daily disasters.
I also think that these frontline workers should be compensated for their work and commitment to show up to work everyday
What’s the paycheck you just cashed?
I was just laughing at the comment about what’s that you just cashed sounds like a paycheck!!!! Sorry needed that laugh! From anonymous 3:21 from esw: comment.
Maybe you should just walk to wherever you go because you don’t pay anyone and probably have no job. Don’t be mad just be glad you’re not out on the front line you and Dr. Giggle who likes to laugh at nothing funny.