Metro snow routes & some route cancellations continue; Winter storm expected

With a major snow storm forecast to hit King County on Wednesday, King County Metro
Transit is keeping buses on snow routing until further notice, and is canceling up to 30
individual bus routes Wednesday morning, due to the predicted severity of the storm.

If there is major snowfall, bus service will be significantly disrupted and delayed. People should
avoid traveling if at all possible. 

Due to the weather forecast for treacherous and impassable roadways, Metro is scaling back
some service on Wednesday morning in order to be able to operate the rest of its system as
safely and reliably as possible.

The routes expected to be canceled for Wednesday are:
2EX, 38, 42, 45, 46, 51, 53, 79, 114, 161, 162, 175, 192, 193, 197,
205, 210, 215, 216, 219, 224, 237, 251, 268, 277, 316 & 355.

Information about these Wednesday morning route cancellations is available on Metro’s Snow & Ice page. 
Service on those routes could be restored depending on overnight weather forecasts and actual travel
conditions. Metro will notify subscribers if service is restored to any of these routes at any time during the day.

Before traveling, riders should check the Snow & Ice page for the most current status of Metro service.
Updates to the online information begin as early as 4:00 AM, and continue as needed until conditions improve.

All other Metro service will operate via snow routing with schedule delays likely.

Though weather and road conditions in the morning may not be bad in your area, delays and service
disruptions can occur in other parts of the county and could affect bus service in your area. Buses 
may also be chained, which means they have to travel at slower speeds. There are usually more bus
riders on snow days as well, which can also cause delays.

It is not possible to know when a bus will arrive at a specific location, or to provide service updates
about individual trips or stops.

Use regularly published timetables as a guide and check your bus’s snow route on its timetable map
page. Check Metro’s online snow page for route updates, be aware of conditions in your area and be
prepared for service delays or disruptions. Conditions and service impacts can change rapidly.

If your bus does not have a pre-planned snow route, it will operate its regular route, however service
may be delayed due to weather and road conditions. If a bus is unable to follow its pre-planned reroute, 
Metro will send a Transit Alert with an update as soon as we have information about it. It is possible for
this process to be delayed.

During snow and other significant service disruptions, Metro makes every effort to advise bus riders of
changes in service, primarily through the posting of information on its Snow & Ice web page and the use
of route-level Transit Alerts. It is generally not possible for Metro to send alerts about delays or service
disruptions on individual trips or at specific bus stops.

Additionally, Metro service covers all of King County. It is possible for multiple conditions to exist
simultaneously in different parts of the county. Buses that travel through many areas, may be affected in
some places and not others, and this can impact service in areas where adverse conditions do not seem
to exist. Your patience is appreciated when service is delayed.

Transit customers are advised to be well-prepared for the conditions and wait for buses at posted bus stops
on flat portions of cleared arterials or at major transfer points, such as park-and-ride lots and transit centers,
where there may be multiple service options.

The Regional Trip Planner provides information about scheduled service, and does not reflect service revisions
due to weather disruptions or other events, as is also the case with Tracker and non-Metro service information
applications. The best sources for information are Metro's Snow & Ice page, the snow information in timetables
and any related Transit Alerts that have been sent.

Visit Metro's  ESN page for information about Metro's plan in the event of extremely severe conditions.

Visit the Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit or Washington State Ferries websites for information
about service provided by each agency.

You can also visit the King County Water Taxi and South Lake Union Streetcar sites for information about those services.

Thanks for your patience during adverse conditions, and for using Metro’s services.

We will provide updates as conditions change.

Travel safely.