Metro Weekend Update - Service Change on September 2nd; Reroutes in U District and Downtown due to construction; Mariners home games; and more;
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 08/25/2023 06:24 PM PDT
Remember, “It’s a great day to ride Metro” to get to events and activities where there is often traffic congestion and limited parking.
Weekend Service Impacts
Routes 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 27, 28, 33, 36, 40, 49, 62, 70, 124, 125, 131, 132 and RapidRide C, D, E and H lines will be rerouted in both directions off 3rd Avenue in downtown Seattle from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 26 due to construction;
Routes 226, 240, 241, 246, 249, 250, 271, ST 550 and RapidRide B Line will be rerouted in both directions and will not serve the Bellevue Transit Center from Friday, August 25 at 7 p.m. to Monday, August 28 at 5 a.m. due to construction;
RapidRide B Line will be rerouted off 148th Avenue NE between Redmond Way and Willows Road NE from Saturday, August 26 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, August 27 at 8 p.m. due to construction;
Routes 255, 271, ST 542, and ST 545 will be affected by 15th Avenue NE construction in the U District, in addition to the ongoing SR 520 bridge closure from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 26;
Routes 20, 44, 49, 70 and 372 will be rerouted off NE 43rd Street and will not serve the stop at U District Station at Bay 1, from Saturday, August 26 at 7 a.m. to Sunday, August 27 at 6 p.m. due to construction;
Routes 20, 44, 48, 65 and 255 will be rerouted off 15th Avenue NE between NE Campus Parkway and NE Pacific Street from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 26 due to construction;
Routes 45 and 75 will be rerouted from Friday, August 18 at 6 a.m. to Sunday, August 27 at 6 p.m. during the closure of Pend Oreille Road due to construction;
Route 128 will be rerouted during the Admiral Junction Function from 6 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 26;
Route 153 continues to be rerouted in both directions off Lind Avenue SW between SW 16th Street and SW Grady Way due to a road closure;
Take transit to all your events in Seattle this weekend. Metro and Link Light Rail serves riders heading to T-Mobile Park, Husky Stadium, Lumen Field and Climate Pledge Arena;
Mariners have a full weekend of games at T-Mobile Park on Friday, August 25 at 7:10 p.m., Saturday, August 26 at 1:10 p.m., and Sunday, August 27 at 1:10 p.m.;
The Storm will have a game at the Climate Pledge Arena at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 27;
Ed Sheeran is performing on Saturday, August 26 at 6 p.m. at Lumen Field;
West Seattle Water Taxi is operating on summer schedule. Weekday service runs from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekend service from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and additional late night runs on Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m.;
King County Metro will continue to suspend peak weekday routes 16, 232, 237, 301, 304 and 320 through Sept. 1 due to ongoing staff and bus availability. Some individual weekday bus trips also are canceled. Riders have alternatives available during these suspensions (listed on Metro Matters) and we will provide regular updates to keep you informed about your transit service and options.
King County Metro will update its transit schedules September 2 to improve trip reliability for riders.
To better match transit service with bus and workforce availability, King County Metro has planned temporary service reductions. Metro will suspend 20 peak-only commuter routes and reduce service on 12 routes beginning September 2. Alternatives are available for nearly all affected routes. Most riders will see no changes as 124 of 156 routes and 92% of boardings are not affected.
These 20 routes will be fully suspended. Each of these routes have alternatives, most available at the same bus stops or stops nearby. For a detailed list of rider alternatives, visit our Service Change page.
These 12 routes will be reduced to operate less frequently. Some high-ridership routes such as Routes 7 and 36 will continue to have very frequent service, with wait times of just a few more minutes. Lower-ridership routes will shift service to every 30 to 60 minutes during some time periods.For a detailed list of rider alternatives, visit our Service Change page.
Metro sought to protect several categories of service, including routes with high ridership demand and few alternate transit options. By adjusting schedules and suspending routes, the upcoming service change will deliver roughly the same number of transit trips currently operating on the road, without the day-to-day variability that has inconvenienced riders during the past several months.
To read more about the process behind these temporary service deductions, please visit our Metro Matters blog.
Improving the reliability of the Route 5: Metro studying transit improvements for popular service
Improving transit service in our growing region is always a priority for King County Metro. Based on projected regional population and employment growth, Metro expects that more and more people will continue to rely on public transportation, making it important to ensure that bus service is reliable and efficient.
Learn more about the project and future improvements on the Metro Matters blog.
Metro receives national award for innovative Transit GO Rewards incentives program
King County Metro was awarded American Public Transit Association’s (APTA) 2023 Innovation Award for our Transit GO Rewards program. APTA, the premier organization representing public transit agencies, gives the Innovation Award each year to members who have demonstrated innovative concepts or effective problem-solving techniques.
Following the pilot’s success, King County relaunched Transit GO Rewards and made it available to riders anywhere in King County.
When a rider completes a Transit GO Rewards campaign, they are rewarded with points, which can then be redeemed for transit fares or credit for any of the bike or scooter-share systems that operate in the Seattle area. Current redemption partners include Sound Transit, Kitsap Transit, Seattle Streetcar, Lime, Veo, Bird Link scooter, and of course, Metro buses and water taxis.
Since the relaunch of rewards, more than 30,000 active participants enrolled in the program. Among these participants, Metro has seen a measurable increase in ridership, with eighty-five percent of active users interacting with the platform regularly to claim their points earned by completing trips. On average, that’s worked out to about 18 rides per month. Redemption volumes have been equally impressive, with 70 percent of active users redeeming their first reward within 24 hours of signing up.
Ernest Kandilige appointed permanent Metro Deputy General Manager
Since the beginning of the year, Ernest Kandilige has been serving as Metro’s Interim Deputy General Manager. Starting August 21st, General Manager Michelle Alison has officially appointed Ernest as Metro’s Deputy General Manager.
As Deputy General Manager, Ernest is focused on supporting Metro operations in Vehicle Maintenance, Bus Operations, Transit Facilities, Safety and Security, Marine and Rail. Ernest leads with equity at the forefront and is committed to helping Metro bring our Long Game to fruition. His focus on continuous improvement will help us deliver services that our riders care about and create a space where employees can feel supported to experiment and learn.
Learn more about our new Deputy General Manager on the Metro Matters blog.
Metro is hiring part-time and full-time transit operators (bus drivers) and trades professionals to keep the region moving. Learn more on our website.
