Transit Alert – Spring brings new transit service revisions along with some service reductions, plus temporary discontinuation of fare collection and steps to take for staying safe and well

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 03/21/2020 09:05 PM PDT

Just as we do every March, Metro has implemented its spring service revisions,
effective March 21.

Look for new orange timetables and Metro’s special Rider Alert brochure.

Along with Metro’s usual spring updates, however, King County and regional transit
riders and community members are being affected and engaged by the more pressing
need to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

So, along with the new and revised service rolling out on March 21, there are also some
temporary measures and exceptions in effect for riders to be aware of.

Operating and other service decisions are made and updated with guidance and
direction from King County Public Health and other authorized agencies.

See below for information about bus riding, Metro’s spring service revisions and service
reductions starting on March 23 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Bus Riding
Until further notice, the following measures are in place on transit service in the greater
Puget Sound region.

  • Do not travel if you are sick; stay home.
  • No ORCA tap or fare payment is required.
  • If you are able, board & exit at the back door.
  • If you need to, board & exit at the front.
  • Maintain distance from other passengers.
  • Cover coughs & sneezes.
  • Listen for announcements.
  • Expect possible delays or service revisions.
  • Watch for updates.
  • Some spring service revisions are delayed until further notice.

Information

Transit service revisions
Metro’s spring service revisions bring new Eastside connections between popular
destinations, as well as more Route 255 trips and a new connection to Link light rail at
University of Washington Station.

When the current health emergency is over and service can return to normal, we’re also
expanding on-demand Community Ride service in Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland and
Woodinville.

Spring service revision summary
Visit Metro’s service change page for complete information.

Route revisions

  • New routes: 225, 230, 231, 239, 250 & ST 544.
  • Deleted routes: 234, 235, 236, 238, 243, 244, 248, 277 & ST 540.
  • Routes with added trips: 167, 271 & DART 930.
  • Routes with routing or stop revisions: 50, 55, 56, 57, 62, 128, 190, 221, 255, ST 541, 775, DART 930 & 987.
  • Unchanged routes: RapidRide B Line, 224, 232, 237, 245, 249, 252,
    257, 268, 269, 309, 311, 312, ST 522, ST 532, ST 535, ST 542,
    ST 545 & DART 931.
  • Other routes have minor schedule revisions; check timetables.
  • A few services have postponed implementation or delayed seasonal
    revisions until further notice.

North Eastside mobility
The North Eastside Mobility Project (NEMP) is designed to expand transit service,
improve mobility and strengthen connections to popular destinations. Five new routes
replace or restructure portions of service previously provided by eight deleted routes,
and two routes have significant revisions.

Parking facilities & bus stops

  • The Overlake Transit Center is renamed Redmond Technology Station.
  • The Star Lake P&R is closed for light rail construction, affecting Route 190.
  • Revised Route 255 operates between Totem Lake and University of
    Washington Station for a connection via Link light rail to and from
    Capitol Hill or downtown Seattle.
  • Some bus stops along Route 50 have been removed to improve performance.
    Routes 55, 56, 57, 128, 775 and 987 shared some of those stops.
  •  Permit Parking at designated park & ride lots is suspended until further notice.

Holiday service
Metro no longer reduces service on routes 167 and 271 when the University of
Washington is not in session.

Metro operates Sunday service on Memorial Day, Independence Day (observed) and
Labor Day.

Community Connections & Rideshare

Community Ride service will resume when transit services are able to return to normal
operations.

Community Ride is a reservation-based, on demand transportation service that travels
within a service area instead of along a route.

Riders pay a regular Metro fare and request trips over the phone or online.

Visit the Community Ride page for more information on how to get started!

Log onto RideshareOnline.com to find a vanpool or carpool match for your commute.
Almost 900 vanpools commute from or into the Eastside of King County.

Service reductions effective March 23
Evens as service revisions are implemented, Metro will temporarily move to a Reduced
Schedule starting Monday, March 23, two days after its pre-scheduled Spring Service Change
takes effect.

Reduced Schedule operation is in response to a decrease in ridership since the
emergence of COVID-19. Service reductions are designed to maintain a resilient and
sustainable transit system that is able to keep our region moving every day, then to
ramp back up when the crisis is over.

Under the temporary Reduced Schedule, buses may operate less frequently throughout
the day.

Some routes will not operate and nearly all routes will have individual trip cancellations.

  • Routes & services that will not operate until further notice: 9, 29, 37, 47, 78,
    125, 200, 208, 237, 308, 330, 910, ST 541, Black Diamond/Enumclaw
    Community Ride, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Community Ride, Normandy Park
    Community Ride, Sammamish Community Ride, Juanita Community Ride, the
    new Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride & Router 630 - Mercer Island
    Community Shuttle, Via to Transit, Seattle Monorail & the South Lake Union
    Streetcar.
  • The King County Water Taxi seasonal schedule revision is postponed.
  • Permit Parking at designated park & ride lots is suspended until further notice.
  • Routes with no changes: 11, 22, 60, 71, 73, 105, 118, 119, 128, 154, 164,
    166, 204, 224, 309, 348, ST 554, 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 915, 916, 917,
    930, Route 628 - Snoqualmie Community Shuttle & Route 631 - Burien
    Community Shuttle.
  • Routes and services with some trips canceled: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13,
    14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49,
    50, 55, 56, 57, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 101, 102, 106,
    107, 111, 113, 114, 116, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 128, 131, 132, 143, 148, 150,
    153, 156, 157, 158, 159, 164, 166, 167, 168, 169, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182,
    183, 186, 187, 190, 192, 193, 197, 212, 214, 216, 217, 218, 219, 221, 225, 226,
    230, 231, 232, 239, 240, 241, 245, 246, 249, 252, 250, 255, 257, 268, 269, 271,
    301, 303, 304, 309, 311, 312, 316, 331, 342, 345, 346, 347, 348, 355, 372, 373,
    773, 775, RapidRide A, B, C, D, E & F lines, ST 522, ST 542, ST 545, ST 550,
    ST 554, ST 555, ST 556, 907, 913, 931, 952 & Route 635 - Des Moines
    Community Shuttle.

Individual trip cancelations are reflected in the real time data features of Metro's
customer information systems.

Know before you go
During Reduced Schedule operation, online customer information planning tools and
third-party apps may be increasingly inaccurate. While these tools will be updated to the
Spring Service Change schedule, they may not reflect all temporary schedule changes
in the Reduced Schedule.

These systems may still provide useful information, such as maps and bus stop
information.

  • Visit Metro’s Reduced Schedule page to confirm that their route is operating and
    other details, then check to see the status of a trip by using ‘Next Departures’ in
    Metro’s     Trip Planner, or Text for Departures by texting your stop ID to 62550.
  • Riders can also contact Metro Customer Information at 206-553-3000 Monday
    through Friday, 6 AM-8 PM, or reach us on the web using our     comment form for
    assistance.
  • Sound Transit’s Link and Sounder services and some ST Express bus routes are
    also reduced. Transferring riders should check     Sound Transit’s service alerts.

 Thank you for riding and for using Metro’s services.  Be safe.