With stabilized workforce levels and the state’s “Safe Start” plan moving forward, King County Metro will restore service on dozens of bus routes, increase water taxi service, and partially restore Via to Transit on Monday, June 22.
The move fully restores 23 bus routes that were canceled in March and April and adds trips to other routes. A few recently canceled peak commuter routes will be restored, while other routes will remain suspended due to financial constraints and lower anticipated ridership.
The result is Metro will operate more than 11,000 weekday bus trips, or 85% of its pre-COVID service level. Saturday service will be 8,200 trips (99%) and Sunday service will be 7,000 trips (99%). Starting Monday, Metro’s will increase the number of transit operators providing service from 64% to about 80% of pre-COVID levels.
Affected routes are listed below, and revised schedules will be posted on Metro’s Reduced Schedule page by June 20 for weekday service starting June 22. An updated Canceled Trips page will show which trips are still not running. Weekend schedule updates for service beginning Saturday, June 27 will be posted next week.
Metro continues to monitor evolving customer travel behavior and ridership, which remains about 70% lower than this time last year. As demand increases on particular routes, Metro will add extra trips where possible throughout the summer and fall. Social distancing requirements continue to significantly reduce the number of customers that each bus can carry.
In September, Metro plans to further adjust service, adding additional weekday peak routes and service, along with some modifications to weekend schedules, targeting a total service level that will be about 85% of pre-COVID levels. For more information, read “Metro plans September service change amid budget challenges.”
Instructions for riders
- If your route is not operating, transit planners have created a list of options to consider. Also, customer service is available to help with trip planning 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at 206-553-3000.
- To support public health and prevent the spread of COVID-19, riders are still required to wear masks when riding transit and in situations where they cannot maintain six feet of distance from other people.
- Fares are not yet being collected on Metro services. Riders should board at the middle or back doors unless they need to access the ADA area or boarding assistance.
Highlights of changes effective June 22
- Bus
- Restored routes: 21 Express, 74, 102, 111, 118, 119, 125, 208, 212, 217, 218, 221, 224, 226, 257, 301, 304, 311, 330, 773, 775, 907, 930
- All Metro bus routes operating on weekends (including DART) will resume full service on Saturdays and Sundays. Routes 22, 47, 249, and 910 remain suspended on weekends.
- Streetcar
- South Lake Union Streetcar remains suspended
- First Hill Streetcar will continue to operate with 15-minute headways Monday through Saturday during reduced service hours, 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. There are no changes to service hours on Sunday and holidays: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Trailhead Direct
- Trailhead Direct remains suspended until further notice.
- Via to Transit
- Via to Transit relaunches serving three locations (Othello Station, Rainier Beach Station, and Tukwila International Boulevard Station). Read “Via to Transit pilot returns to southeast Seattle and Tukwila” for more details.
- Water Taxi
- Water taxi routes to Vashon and West Seattle will see restoration of some service and will operate on commuter (formerly “winter”) schedules.
Updates by route/service
WEEKDAY
Routes with most or all trips operating (84 routes with two or fewer trips cut)
A Line, B Line, F Line, 8, 11, 21 local, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33, 45, 48, 49, 50, 60, 62, 64, 65, 67, 70, 71, 73, 75, 101, 102, 105, 106, 107, 111, 120, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 148, 150, 153, 156, 164, 166, 168, 169, 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 193, 204, 208, 217, 218, 221, 224, 240, 245, 255, 257, 269, 303, 304, 309, 311, 330, 331, 345, 346, 347, 348, 373, 631 (Burien Community Shuttle), 635 (Des Moines Community Shuttle), 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 915, 916, 917, 930, Water Taxi Vashon route
Routes with fewer trips and/or reduced hours of operation (42 routes and services)
C Line, D Line, E Line, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Local, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 21X, 27, 28, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 74, 118, 119, 212, 225, 226, 230, 231, 239, 241, 250, 271, 301, 372, 773, 775, 907, Water Taxi West Seattle, First Hill Streetcar, Link Light Rail, Via to Transit (revised areas served)
Routes, services, and programs fully cut (87 routes and services)
5X, 9, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 29, 37, 47, 55, 56, 57, 63, 76, 77, 78, 113, 114, 116, 118X, 119X, 121, 122, 123, 143, 154, 157, 158, 159, 167, 177, 178, 179, 186, 190, 192, 197, 200, 214, 216, 219, 232, 237, 246, 249, 252, 268, 308, 312, 316, 342, 355, 628 (Snoqualmie Community Shuttle), 630 (Mercer Island Community Shuttle), 823, 824, 886, 887, 888, 889, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 910, 913, 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, South Lake Union Streetcar
SATURDAY
Routes with most or all trips operating on Saturday
A Line, B Line, C Line, D line, E Line, F Line, 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, 60, 62, 65, 67, 70, 71, 73, 75, 101, 105, 106, 107, 118, 120, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 148, 150, 156, 164, 166, 168, 169, 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 204, 208, 221, 225, 226, 230, 231, 239, 240, 241, 245, 250, 255, 269, 271, 331, 345, 346, 347, 348, 372, 635 (Des Moines Community Shuttle), 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 915, 916, 917
Routes with fewer trips and/or reduced hours of operation on Saturday
First Hill Streetcar, Link light rail, Via to Transit (revised areas served)
Routes, services, and programs fully cut on Saturday
22, 47, 249, 910, South Lake Union Streetcar, Water Taxi West Seattle route, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Community Ride, Normandy Park Community Ride, Sammamish Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride
SUNDAY
Routes with most or all Sunday trips operating
A Line, B Line, C Line, D Line, E Line, F Line, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 60, 62, 65, 67, 70, 73, 75, 101, 105, 106, 107, 118, 120, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 148, 150, 156, 166, 168, 169, 180, 181, 182, 187, 221, 225, 226, 230, 231, 239, 240, 241, 245, 250, 255, 271, 331, 345, 346, 347, 348, 372, 901, 903
Routes with fewer trips and/or reduced hours of operation on Sunday
First Hill Streetcar, Link Light Rail, Via to Transit (revised areas served)
Routes, services, and programs fully cut on Sunday
22, 47, 249, South Lake Union Streetcar, Water Taxi West Seattle route, Shoreline/Lake Forest Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride
Revised King County Metro Water Taxi weekday commuter sailing schedule effective June 22, 2020
West Seattle Route
Departs Pier 50 | Departs West Seattle |
---|---|
5:55 AM | 6:15 AM |
6:30 AM | 6:50 AM |
7:05 AM | 7:25 AM |
7:40 AM | 8:00 AM |
8:15 AM | 8:35 AM |
8:50 AM | 9:10 AM |
3:25 PM | 3:45 PM |
4:05 PM | 4:25 PM |
4:45 PM | 5:05 PM |
5:25 PM | 5:45 PM |
6:05 PM | 6:25 PM |
6:45 PM | 7:05 PM |
Vashon Island Route
Departs Pier 50 | Departs Vashon |
---|---|
5:30 AM | 6:10 AM |
6:38 AM | 7:10 AM |
7:40 AM | 8:15 AM |
4:30 PM | 4:58 PM |
5:30 PM | 5:58 PM |
6:30 PM | 6:58 PM |
Please bring back the Normandy Park Community Ride. Our seniors really liked it and it served an essential point to point service that is now missing. Also, parts of Burien (Seahurst) do not have any weekend service. How are we going to get to the Transit Center or ride the new H line on weekends?
So I am guessing those of us out here on Avondale are out of luck for good? The 931 was the only way to get anywhere from out here. I have 2 kids with jobs and 1 in college who now have no transportation.
How about #177?
Please restore 56/57. These routes, along with 37, pulled riders from Alki/Genessee/Admiral without going to the high density Alaska Junction area. Pulling these is going to do nothing but require more water taxi, and 773/775 shuttle, trips.
Please bring back the 76, i rely on it to get to work and especially home. Without it my commute makes it so I can only work a 5 hour work day and have to leave super early to go back home to pick kid up from daycare.
For travel from Wedgwood to downtown Seattle, use Routes 65 or 71, and transfer to Link at UW Station.
Routes 65 is running at full schedule, and Route 71 has only one round trip in the p.m. suspended. Link Light Rail is now running every 20 minutes on weekdays. These routes all operate longer hours than Route 76.
The #22 shuttle in West Seattle was the ONLY day and weekend service to Arbor Heights, and even then it only ran hourly. Now that it has been cut completely, there are many people left with no other transit option at all. This disproportionately affects seniors and disabled folks who need to make essential trips for food, medical, and other basic aspects of normal life. It will also force those in this demographic to use Access exclusively for all transportation needs – again, disproportionately affecting seniors as the cost for this service is almost double that of a senior fare. Meanwhile, regular riders working bankers hours are fully accommodated, while paying $0 for fares. This makes no sense either fiscally or ethically. Access costs far more to operate than an hourly shuttle, and to charge seniors extra fare is nothing short of despicable. I will be filing an ADA claim, and lodging complaints with other relevant agencies.
When will express be restored like 15 since I depend on it to get to work on time than bus D
Will the front area of bus remain ADA only?
When will fares be collected again?
I’m curious… according to Metro’s estimates, there is about 20-25% of pre-COVID demand across all routes. And yet, they are planning to operate at 80% of pre-COVID service levels starting this Monday. Why? I’d appreciate hearing Metro reconcile this announcement with their own ridership estimates.
Metro is currently limiting the number of customers on board to support social distancing and support essential travel. Providing service for as many customers as possible is important and will allow Metro to support social distancing even as more people are traveling.
It’s total BS. With 65+ plus routes fully DELETED there’s no way they are operating at anywhere near 80% and even if they were, the buses are only allowed 30% capacity; none of this makes any sense.
Need all morning 101 running as the ones running now seen to be always full and go by me 3/4 of the time. Which makes me late to work.
Hello Robert, all 101 trips will be operating.
You need to restore 55, 56 and 57. I rely on the 55 because were I catch the bus on Atlantic in West Seattle bus drivers seem to have an aversion to stopping there. The admiral district seems to be forgotten. Also, if metro is serious about social distancing, get those bus routes restored. The c line can’t do it all.
Those Via passengers vans are much smaller than buses. What is the passenger limit? We’re still in the middle of the covid pandemic, so I know Metro has reduced its maximum capacity, but I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere.
Social distancing and hygiene best practices will be incorporated into Via to Transit operations as the region continues to fight the spread of COVID-19. There are protocols in place for each of the four phases identified in Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” plan; phases one and two include the following:
Private rides until further notice (note: multiple people from the same booking can ride together)
Passengers are asked to sit in the back of the van to increase social distancing
Barrier in between driver and passengers
Driver and passengers are required to wear face coverings or masks if they are able
Driver is provided with EPA-approved disinfecting product to wipe down the vehicle throughout their shift and vehicles will have an enhanced sanitization daily
In-app Wellness Checks for riders and drivers to confirm they are symptom free before using Via
In-app notifications to riders reinforcing local guidance on PPE, seating spacing, and hygiene
Drivers who are directly affected by COVID-19 will have access to paid sick leave
I’m assuming 773/775 won’t be running on the weekends, ( because the water taxi won’t be running. )
Also will they still be using a shuttle for that route with the coach limits in place ?
Edited for clarity…. I know it says the water taxi will be running on its commuter schedule. But the 773/775 are not on the fully cut list on the weekends. …My second question was about the passenger limits on the small shuttles…
773 and 775 will not be operating on the weekend, because the water taxi will not be operating on weekends.
re: Your second question, a larger shuttle vehicle is planned to be used in the interim for the 773/775 to help with distancing.
Please bring back route 234 (Kenmore, Kirkland, Bellevue). That same trip now requires riding three buses with two transfers.
Route 234 was replaced by Routes 225, 230, 231, and 250 in March 2020 as part of the North Eastside Mobility restructure.
For travel between Kenmore and Bellevue, use Route 225 and transfer to ST 532 or 535 at Totem Lake. 532 and 535 run Mon-Fri, and 535 runs on Saturdays.
For travel between Kenmore and Kirkland, use Route 225 and transfer to Routes 230 or 231 in Juanita.
If you’re going to downtown Bellevue, you can use 225 and transfer to the 535/532, or take 522 and transfer to 535. That might even be faster than the 234 depending on timing. If you’re going to around Overlake Hospital, then it’s a bit trickier.
Kaiser across from Overlake Hosp.. is exactly where I go. Am well aware of what it takes to get there now. This was a significant loss of service.