COVID-19 ridership update: Metro continues to support the region’s needs for essential trips
Ridership on King County Metro remains steady at just over 100,000 daily trips across our reduced service network. This figure reflects customers using Metro to make essential trips, while many customers continue to stay home in response to public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Metro analyzed preliminary extrapolations to create an unofficial estimate of weekly ridership, which remains substantially lower compared to a year ago.
From April 27-May 1, the average weekday bus ridership was estimated to be about 105,000, compared to 418,000 for the same time in 2019, or a 75% drop.
Similarly, an estimated 76% fewer passengers used Metro’s Access paratransit service from April 27-May 1 compared to a year ago. Water taxi routes also are seeing significantly reduced ridership, with 96% fewer riders during the same weekdays.
During the morning and afternoon commutes, estimated ridership has dropped about 80% or more compared to last year. Midday and evening ridership are down about 61-69%, and late-night ridership is down an estimated 55-62%, depending on the day of the week. (More detailed tables are below.)
Notably, weekend ridership has stabilized at about 70-75,000 on both Saturdays and Sundays. These figures represent about 50% of normal weekend ridership. Sunday ridership is normally about 80% of Saturday and is now almost equal.
Metro’s reduced network of service has 73% of its typical weekday trips on the street, and this week we added 15 buses to address crowding on high-demand routes. We also are limiting the number of riders per bus to support social distancing and installing seat signs to direct riders to allow more space between each other on buses. Riders who must travel are strongly urged to wear a mask or face covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As Gov. Inslee has extended his “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order through May 31, we ask people to please continue to reserve transit for essential trips for work and for access to food, medicine, and similarly essential needs.
Please help support the health of other passengers and our frontline essential staff – the operators and crews, supervisors, and maintenance staff—by:
- Staying home if you are sick
- Wearing a face covering when traveling
- Washing your hands often and using sanitizer
- Covering your cough or sneeze
- Staying as far apart as possible from other people
King County Metro bus ridership
*Unofficial total ridership estimates are preliminary and based on samples and extrapolations
| 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% |
| 3/23/2020 | 377,285 | 131,543 | -65% |
| 3/24/2020 | 394,904 | 117,852 | -70% |
| 3/25/2020 | 394,545 | 115,874 | -69% |
| 3/26/2020 | 391,104 | 109,210 | -72% |
| 3/27/2020 | 376,578 | 109,633 | -71% |
| 3/30/2020 | 412,936 | 108,418 | -74% |
| 3/31/2020 | 426,257 | 109,490 | -74% |
| 4/1/2020 | 429,250 | 117,709 | -73% |
| 4/2/2020 | 426,229 | 108,079 | -75% |
| 4/3/2020 | 396,491 | 113,640 | -71% |
| 4/6/2020 | 386,962 | 109,611 | -72% |
| 4/7/2020 | 399,581 | 102,590 | -74% |
| 4/8/2020 | 396,974 | 105,624 | -73% |
| 4/9/2020 | 388,329 | 106,453 | -73% |
| 4/10/2020 | 377,581 | 107,688 | -71% |
| 4/13/2020 | 414,207 | 105,947 | -74% |
| 4/14/2020 | 423,523 | 104,672 | -75% |
| 4/15/2020 | 421,208 | 106,603 | -75% |
| 4/16/2020 | 416,347 | 106,735 | -74% |
| 4/17/2020 | 389,484 | 107,565 | -72% |
| 4/20/2020 | 402,532 | 104,275 | -74% |
| 4/21/2020 | 420,503 | 98,176 | -77% |
| 4/22/2020 | 424,733 | 93,881 | -78% |
| 4/23/2020 | 418,512 | 100,304 | -76% |
| 4/24/2020 | 399,920 | 103,447 | -74% |
| 4/27/2020 | 411,029 | 103,657 | -75% |
| 4/28/2020 | 430,829 | 100,959 | -77% |
| 4/29/2020 | 422,600 | 104,234 | -75% |
| 4/30/2020 | 420,083 | 103,820 | -75% |
| 5/1/2020 | 405,511 | 114,059 | -72% |
Key affected King County Metro routes – Average weekday ridership
*Unofficial ridership estimates are preliminary and based on samples and extrapolations
Week of April 27-May 1
| Route | Baseline (2019) | Current (2020) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 11,598 | 5,201 | -55% |
| 8 | 9,012 | 2,113 | -77% |
| 36 | 9,750 | 3,323 | -66% |
| 40 | 13,194 | 3,125 | -76% |
| 44 | 9,633 | 2,192 | -77% |
| 120 | 8,951 | 3,607 | -60% |
| RapidRide A Line | 9,978 | 5,131 | -49% |
| RapidRide C Line | 11,846 | 2,635 | -78% |
| RapidRide D Line | 14,364 | 4,193 | -71% |
| RapidRide E Line | 17,689 | 7,013 | -60% |
King County Metro bus ridership by time period
*Unofficial ridership estimates are preliminary and based on samples and extrapolations
Morning (5-9am)
| Day | (2019) Morning | (2020) Morning | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 112,334 | 17,311 | -85% |
| April 28 | 118,363 | 17,478 | -85% |
| April 29 | 113,711 | 17,643 | -84% |
| April 30 | 112,456 | 18,151 | -84% |
| May 1 | 103,206 | 19,116 | -81% |
Midday (9am-3pm)
| Day | (2019) Midday | (2020) Midday | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 115,684 | 39,960 | -65% |
| April 28 | 120,516 | 38,649 | -68% |
| April 29 | 130,633 | 40,060 | -69% |
| April 30 | 119,450 | 39,352 | -67% |
| May 1 | 123,053 | 46,114 | -63% |
Afternoon (3-7pm)
| Day | (2019) Afternoon | (2020) Afternoon | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 140,807 | 29,255 | -79% |
| April 28 | 145,493 | 28,144 | -81% |
| April 29 | 132,655 | 29,464 | -78% |
| April 30 | 142,361 | 28,586 | -80% |
| May 1 | 131,114 | 30,767 | -77% |
Evening (7-10pm)
| Day | (2019) Evening | (2020) Evening | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 29,699 | 11,467 | -61% |
| April 28 | 32,214 | 11,006 | -66% |
| April 29 | 32,093 | 11,622 | -64% |
| April 30 | 31,945 | 11,913 | -63% |
| May 1 | 32,517 | 12,183 | -63% |
Late Night (10pm-5am)
| Day | (2019) Late Night | (2020) Late Night | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | 12,505 | 5,664 | -55% |
| April 28 | 14,243 | 5,681 | -60% |
| April 29 | 13,508 | 5,444 | -60% |
| April 30 | 13,870 | 5,818 | -58% |
| May 1 | 15,621 | 5,879 | -62% |
King County Metro Water Taxi ridership
| Day | (2020) Ridership |
|---|---|
| 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 | 183 |
| March 24 | 212 |
| March 25 | 208 |
| March 26 | 145 |
| March 27 | 115 |
| March 30 | 147 |
| March 31 | 136 |
| April 1 | 156 |
| April 2 | 144 |
| April 3 | 125 |
| April 6 | 80 |
| April 7 | 102 |
| April 8 | 71 |
| April 9 | 81 |
| April 10 | 85 |
| April 13 | 83 |
| April 14 | 90 |
| April 15 | 78 |
| April 16 | 81 |
| April 17 | 72 |
| April 20 | 108 |
| April 21 | 81 |
| April 22 | 92 |
| April 23 | 83 |
| April 24 | 54 |
| April 27 | 95 |
| April 28 | 88 |
| April 29 | 109 |
| April 30 | 95 |
| May 1 | 70 |
I was also on the bus Jason mentioned. I think part of the problem is that the southbound trip that leaves University Way NE/ Ne 52nd St. at 2:29 PM and that normally gets to Eastlake Ave. E./E.Lynn St. around 2:44 PM never showed up today. A bus did arrive there around 3:00 PM, but it was full due to the previous bus never showing up. Anyway, I was counting passengers on this bus. I was sitting in a side-facing seat near the articulated part of the bus, so I couldn’t see everyone, but I did see and count 24 people. There were probably more that I couldn’t see because of the people who were standing in the middle of the bus.
Even when the route 70 bus isn’t late, I think Metro really needs to start restoring the buses that were cut. We’re only in phase one of businesses reopening, but the buses and Link are already starting to get overcrowded just from the construction workers coming back to work. It’s only going to get worse once other places such as the UW, Fred Hutch, and Amazon start coming back! Also, you need to actually enforce the social distancing and mask policies. I routinely see homeless people getting on the route 70 buses who sit way too close to other passengers even if the bus is empty enough for them to have vacant seats separating them. In addition, most of these homeless people don’t wear masks even if they’re coughing and obviously sick. You need to either reinstate fares or issue ID cards to essential workers to help control capacity. Many of the essential workers on route 70 buses or the First Hill hospital routes have subsidized ORCA cards through their employers, so you should be able to use that information to issue ID cards to essential workers.
I am on the southbound 70 to downtown right now and it’s standing room only. The driver just announced no more stops unless requested because we are at capacity. Someone immediately pulls for a stop, one gets off and 10 more get on. If this is 73% fewer riders, the old days must have had 250 riders on the bus! Thanks for pretending.