With ridership nearly 7 percent higher than this time last year, Metro Transit is adding two new bus routes and more service on 20 routes throughout King County, as it kicked off its September service change on Sept. 20.
The new bus routes will serve North Bend, Snoqualmie, and Kent, plus service improvements will be added to 11 routes in Seattle, five on the Eastside, and four in the south part of the county.
In response to requests from the cycling community, Metro will launch a demonstration project that allows bicycles to be loaded and unloaded on buses at any stop in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel - not just the first and last tunnel stations.
Metro's ridership has recently climbed to about 400,000 boarding's each weekday, and is expected to increase this fall. Most of the additional service for the September service change is funded through the voter-approved Transit Now initiative, and includes several partnerships with local cities and businesses.
Metro updates its routes and scheduling three times a year to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit customers. Bus riders can find all the September changes detailed in the Special Rider Alert, which is online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro. New orange timetables will soon be available on buses and in Metro information racks.
The information is also in the online Trip Planner at www.kingcounty.gov/tripplanner. Enter a travel date for Sept. 20 or later to find the changed service.
Sometimes people need more than bus service. That's where Rideshare Services can help by providing 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 at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call Metro Rider Information at 553-3000.
