Thanks to a transit initiative recently approved by voters, King County Metro Transit has more bus service in the city's Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Skyway and Tukwila areas.
King County Metro Transit's "Transit Now" program adds service to the following routes:
•Route 8 – Added several trips during the morning and afternoon commute to offer bus service every 15 minutes on the portion of this route between Seattle Center and Capitol Hill;
•Route 101 – Added three trips to relieve overcrowding and provide better connections at the Renton Transit Center and South Renton Park-and-Ride; and
•Route 140 – Doubled mid-day weekday service to every 15 minutes on this route serving Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila and Renton.
The Transit Now sales-tax increase passed at the polls in November, and will allow Metro to increase bus service in King County by up to 20 percent over the next 10 years. The Transit Now funded improvements in the February service change and increased bus trips on nine heavily used routes.
It is just the first of several years of bus service improvements funded by the increase of one-tenth of one percent in the county sales tax. As the sales tax revenues become available, Metro will proceed with plans to purchase more buses for additional regular route improvements, and also continue to develop plans for bus rapid transit service – dubbed "RapidRide" – in five key corridors.
In addition to the improvements funded through Transit Now, Metro is also making other adjustments to bus schedules as part of the February service change.
Passengers can find all the February changes detailed in the special Rider Alert brochure, now available on buses and in Metro information racks. New purple timetables are also in those locations, and online information is now in Metro's Online Trip Planner at www.tripplanner.metrokc. gov. Enter a travel date for Feb. 10 or later to find trips that reflect Metro's changed service.
Sometimes people need more than bus service. That's where Rideshare Services can help by providing resources for carpooling, vanpooling or van sharing. Carpooling and vanpooling match people who are 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.transit.metrokc.gov/, or call Metro Rider Information at 206-553-3000.
