King County Metro says it plans to increase service with more trips on its routes for the tenth update in a row since 2015.

The agency rolled out its Fall 2019 service changes this week. The new schedules begin Saturday, September 21st.

Metro says it is increasing service, adding 200 new trips each weekday, 150 trips on Saturdays, and 200 trips on Sundays totaling 1,350 trips per week, thanks to “investments and Seattle Transportation Benefit District funds from City of Seattle.”

“Adding nearly 1,400 new bus trips each week will make it easier to travel in downtown Seattle and across the county,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement on the changes. “With this latest service expansion, we’re doubling frequency on five of our most popular routes in south King County. Transit means access to opportunity, and we’ve added buses to meet rider demand for the last ten semi-annual service changes, making sure every resident can get to work, school, and all this region has to offer.”

While some of the greatest increases in service are coming on south King County routes, there are a few increases planned for routes serving Capitol Hill and the Central District including:

• 3: On weekdays, two new AM peak trips will be added to help address overcrowding, and schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the new trips.
• 11: On weekdays, four new AM trips and two new PM trips will be added to improve service frequency, and schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the new trips.
• 43: On weekdays, two AM peak hour trips will be added to address overcrowding, and schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the new trips.
• 48: On weekdays, six new late evening trips will be added, and schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the new trips. On Sunday, four new early morning trips will be added, and schedules will be adjusted to accommodate the new trips.

A full roster of the September changes can be found here.

“The City has committed to an additional 50,000 hours of bus service with King County Metro this fall, which means expanded service on some of our busiest routes,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in the press release. “Our residents know that the best way to get around in this new era of tough traffic is transit. That is why they support the Seattle Transportation Benefit District which will fund an additional 937 weekly bus trips in every part of the City.”

The Seattle Transportation Benefit District was created in 2010 and is powered by annual vehicle license fees. Recent legislative moves have sought to relax the rules on which routes district funds can be used to expand service on, and to allow for greater investment in capital projects to improve transportation system efficiency.

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