Press Release:
Starting Saturday, Feb. 5, King County Metro Transit is updating its bus service.

This includes routing and bus stop revisions for approximately two dozen routes.

Metro updates its routes and scheduling three times a year to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit customers.

Service revisions in downtown Seattle and SODO starting on Saturday are designed to keep people moving during long-term construction along the Seattle waterfront. Metro is diverting much of its downtown service away from First Avenue S and First Avenue between Edgar Martinez Dr S & Broad St.

Metro representatives are available at many downtown bus stops during the next several days to help bus riders with the changes.

Highlights for different areas of the county are below. In almost all areas, some bus trips are being cut and schedule revisions made in order to achieve cost savings.

Metro encourages bus riders to check Metro Online or new blue paper timetables for updates. A Special Rider Alert brochure is also available on buses and online. Updated information is available in the regional online Trip Planner by entering a travel date of Feb 5 or later. Timetables in Metro Online will be updated on Friday afternoon at about 3 p.m.; after that time use the Trip Planner for information about Friday's schedules or service.

Downtown Seattle

· Routes shifting from 1st Avenue to 3rd Avenue: 15, 18, 21, 22, 56 & 57;

· Routes shifting from 3rd Avenue to 2nd & 4th avenues: 111, 114, 143, 157 & 161;

· Routes changing bus stop locations on 3rd Avenue: 16, 26, 28 & 66;

· Route 99 is revised to travel north on 1st Avenue and south on Alaskan Way, and
will no longer be "wrapped" to look like streetcars; and

· Other routes with routing revisions: 37, 81, 85, 116, 118, & 119.

· Routes 10 & 12 remain on their current 1st Av routing between Pine & Marion streets.

East & North

· There are more trips on routes 255 and 311 to provide additional bus service on SR-520;

· New Route 309 peak hour express service connects Kenmore with First Hill via Lake City & South Lake Union; and

· On Feb 26 routes 230, 234, 236, 238, 245, 248 & 255 return to the rebuilt Kirkland Transit Center, with the existing routing continuing until that date.

South & West

· On weekdays, trips are added to Route 54 between Seattle & White Center to increase service frequency to every 10-15 minutes between 3:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Beyond bus service, Metro’s Rideshare Services provides resources for carpooling, vanpooling or vansharing. Carpooling and vanpooling match people traveling to common destinations. VanShare helps those who need to make a connection to or from bus service. You can VanShare from home and connect to your bus, or use VanShare from the bus stop or park-and-ride lot to complete a trip to work.

For information about all the services Metro provides, visit Metro Online or call Metro Customer Information at (206) 553-3000.