King County Metro is restoring some hyper-local bus service throughout the county, starting today. A total of 79 additional trips will be allocated to six routes that function as DART (Dial-A-Ride) service.
The routes use smaller single-door buses and are operated by Hopelink, the agency’s contractor for this type of service. DART can come in fixed-route and flexible service varieties, sometimes with both characteristics in a service area or corridor.
Staffing levels have been a sticking point in more DART service, but the situation is improving. “We are glad to be restoring trips for riders in several communities thanks to the increased availability of drivers on these DART routes,” Jeff Switzer, a spokesperson for Metro, told The Urbanist.
Riders in Mercer Island, Federal Way, Tukwila, Renton, Auburn, and Enumclaw will benefit from the improved service. Changes to service will shake out as follows:
| Route | Service Area | Extra Trips | Service Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 204 | Mercer Island | 10 more trips on weekdays | This will allow service to increase span of service in the morning and evenings and improve frequency to every 30 minutes during peak hours |
| 630 | Mercer Island-Seattle | 4 more trips on weekdays | This will improve overall frequency during peak hours |
| 901 | Federal Way | 26 more trips on weekdays | This will improve frequency throughout much of the day to every 30 minutes |
| 903 | Federal Way | 13 more trips on weekdays | This will improve frequency throughout much of the day to every 30 minutes |
| 906 | Tukwila-Renton | 22 more trips on weekdays | This will improve frequency throughout much of the day to every 20 to 30 minutes |
| 915 | Auburn-Enumclaw | 4 more trips on weekdays | This will improve overall frequency during peak hours |
In March, Metro implemented its regular biannual service change, which covers the bulk of routed service modifications. It was a fairly narrow set of service changes and didn’t come with much in the way of notable service improvements, but at least wasn’t a bringer of system cuts like last fall. With more stable and improving staffing levels, perhaps riders can expect more service restoration this fall.
More imminently, Metro has yet to formally announce a start of its spring and summer city-to-mountain-trails service, Trailhead Direct, which uses vehicles similar to DART. Schedules are already appearing in third-party apps suggest that the service could come with two routes this season, up from one last season. We’ll keep an ear to the ground for more on that.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.