King County Metro is asking the state legislature to provide stable funding for the public transit service before temporary funding runs out mid-2014, and says up to two-thirds of service could be cut, reduced or altered without it.
In an announcement released on April 1 (not an April Fool’s joke), Metro said the revenue shortfall “could force Metro to reduce service by about 17 percent beginning in fall 2014. About seven out of 10 riders would have to walk farther to catch a bus, transfer more, lose their service during some times of the day, or lose their service altogether.”
King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, representing and living in West Seattle, tweeted today: “In a briefing about Metro’s budget crisis: A 17% reduction of service may add 20-30k new cars to our roadways. Sustainable funding is needed!”
Metro claims an ongoing $60 million annual revenue shortfall will kick in without stable funding, with an additional $15 million shortfall to replace aging buses.
At risk in West Seattle
Metro is already projecting transit service loses and changes if funding does not come through. In West Seattle, routes at risk include deleting the 21 Express and revising the 21. For a complete list, please check out Metro’s report found here.
