Metro is encouraging riders to prepare for changes to dozens of routes and make alternate travel plans as needed. Riders will see about 250 closed bus stops, nearly 1,200 changed bus stop signs and 800 posted Rider Alerts.
Summary information for riders is available in orange Rider Alert brochures on buses and at transit information hubs, as well as on the Metro website (metro.kingcounty.gov/am/future). By entering a date after Sept. 27 in Metro’s online trip planner (tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/hiwire?.a=iTripPlanning), riders can see what alternatives are available as routes are canceled or revised.
Sept. 27 service changes include (*potentially revised in two phases):
•28 deleted routes — 7X, 19, 47, 48X, 61, 62, 139, 152, 161, 173, 202, 203, 205X, 209, 210, 211X, 213, 215, 243, 250, 260, 265, 280, 306X, DART routes 909, 919, 927, 935.
•13 revised routes — 27*, 30*, 200*, 204, 208, 212*, 236*, 238*, 249*, 312X, 331, DART routes 903, 931.
•Seven route adjustments (no-cost route schedule adjustments or revisions also are posted online): Routes 24, 33, 48, 49, 122, 178, 201.
In addition to cuts this month, further rounds of service cuts are proposed for February 2015 and March 2016, with three rounds totaling 400,000 service hours, a newly reduced figure because of efforts at reforms and cost efficiencies.
These are proposed by King County Executive Dow Constantine as part of the 2015-2016 budget and represent a revised figure from a previous service-cut proposal of 550,000 hours.
The King County Council will consider transit service levels as part of deliberations on the county’s biennial budget.