MetroWinter.com | 简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) | 한국어 (Korean) | Русский (Russian) | af Soomaali (Somali) | Español (Spanish) | Українська (Ukrainian) | Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Freezing temperatures and the possibility of snow are in the forecast later this week, which means it’s time to prepare for winter weather potentially affecting your travel on King County Metro.
New this year: Metro now has winter weather information on our updated MetroWinter.com webpage available in Simplified Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Also, when a bus switches to its snow route due to roadway conditions, we will activate a new snowflake icon next to affected routes in our Service Advisories table, and a color-coded King County map will show where snow routes are in effect.
Before the storm
- Sign up or update your subscriptions to receive Transit Alerts and snow route updates via text and email for the bus routes you rely on.
- Customer-friendly winter weather tips are now available in eight languages, including English, at MetroWinter.com. You can preview snow routes and tips on traveling during winter weather.
- Snow brochures are available in English and Spanish on buses and other transit with helpful winter weather travel tips.
- If you need help with trip planning, call our customer service office 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays at 206-553-3000. Free interpreters are available.
- Special Customer Information Call Center hours: Saturday, Jan. 13, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for trip planning support.
Real-time updates
- If a snow route is activated, updates will be posted in our service advisories table with a snowflake icon for affected routes next to each affected route.
- On X/Twitter, be sure to follow @KingCountyMetro for news updates.
- Real-time updates are available for your bus stop to let you know if your trip is operating, when it’s due to depart or if it’s been canceled. Text your bus stop number to 62550 for an automated list of the next bus trips headed your way.
- Each trip will either show an estimated departure time, “s” for scheduled, or “canceled.” Keep in mind departure time estimates are less accurate when buses are on snow routes.
- Next departures information is also available on Metro’s Trip Planner.
- Metro’s Trip Planner and third-party apps, such as One Bus Away or Google Maps do not reflect planned or unplanned snow reroutes.
- If road conditions become very challenging during severe winter weather, Metro might switch to the Emergency Snow Network, a streamlined list of about 60 reliable all-day bus routes across King County that travel on flatter roadways that are regularly plowed and managed by cities.
Other Metro services
- Winter weather can also delay or cancel other transit services such as Access paratransit, Metro Flex, Water Taxi, streetcar and others. Check availability for these services before traveling.
Ride safely and comfortably
- Road conditions could delay transit service, so be prepared! Allow extra travel time and bundle up with warm clothing and non-slippery footwear as you wait for your bus, water taxi or other trip.
- Use a flashlight or a phone light to signal your bus driver that you are waiting at a bus stop.
- Cold weather shelters are available through the King County Regional Housing Authority.
- Weather forecasts, road conditions, traffic, public health and power outage information are available in a winter weather blogpost by King County Emergency Management to better support the community during adverse weather.
