Fall 2024 Transit Service Changes Include Big Shakeups Across Puget Sound

Major service changes for public transit routes are just around the corner in Puget Sound. King County Metro and Community Transit are set to deliver the biggest changes with significant bus restructures and more service. Many of those changes are being precipitated by the recent opening and expansion of Link light rail to Lynnwood. The rapid transit link to Seattle is allowing transit agencies to redesign their bus network to feed new light rail stations rather than sit in I-5 traffic, particularly for buses coming from Snohomish County.

Meanwhile, in the Capitol Hill and First Hill area, the launch of new RapidRide G Line service on Saturday is bringing a major shakeup to the bus network, with revised routings to dovetail with the Madison Street bus rapid transit line. While the G Line will offer six-minute peak frequencies as promised, Metro is cutting frequencies on other Capitol Hill bus routes, including Routes 49, 10, and 11 — though Route 60 is getting a frequency boost. 

Like many transit agencies across the United States, Metro continues to struggle to rebound from pandemic-induced bus operator shortage, related service cuts, and slow-to-recover ridership. With limited service hours to deploy, Metro cannot guarantee bus restructures or service changes will mean higher frequencies across the board. Overall, Metro said the fall revisions compose a 5% increase in weekday service and a 8% jump in weekend service — a solid improvement that still leaves service below pre-pandemic levels.

Metro General Manager Michelle Allison is at Shoreline North station today, touting this Saturday's service change, which will boost service on weekdays by 5% and on weekends by 8%, improve connections to light rail and launch RapidRide G. pic.twitter.com/RHNtEOxp61

— Ryan Packer (@typewriteralley) September 11, 2024

As part of its Link-oriented restructure, Metro is deleting Routes 20, 64, 73 and adding Route 61, a new crosstown bus connecting Greenwood to Lake City via Northgate Station. Other new additions include Route 333 and Route 365, which will create a feeder network for Shoreline’s two new light rail stations, with Route 333 also hitting Mountlake Terrace Station for good measure.

King County Metro

Between those two new rapid transit lines, riders in Seattle and North King County will see substantial service revisions when the service change goes into effect on Saturday, September 14. New and revised routes will direct riders to two new light rail stations in King County and one just across the county line in Snohomish County, which Lynnwood Link has brought online since opening to much fanfare on August 30.

Routes	Changes
RapidRide E Line	The E Line will benefit from additional trips, which will restore service to March 2022 levels.
RapidRide G Line	This new G Line will provide service between 1st Avenue in Downtown Seattle and 28th Avenue E, mainly via Madison Street. Between 1st Avenue and 9th Avenue, it will operate as a couplet on Madison and Spring Streets. Service will be as frequent as every six minutes and add a new letter to the RapidRide network.
3	This route will be revised on its north end to serve Capitol Hill and terminate in the Summit area for most trips, thereby restoring former Route 47 service. It will no longer serve Belltown and Queen Anne. Route 4 will continue to provide Belltown and Queen Anne service. The Summit tail will only operate from roughly 7am to 7pm. Frequencies will generally be every 30 minutes.
4	This route will benefit from additional trips to replace trips lost by Route 3 service adjustments.
10	This route will be revised to serve 15th Avenue E and E Pine Street and will no longer operate on E Olive Way and E John Street. Additionally, trip times will be adjusted and frequencies will decrease to every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 7pm. Previously this bus had 15-minute headways.
11	This route will be revised to serve E Olive Way, E Thomas Street, E John Street, Pine Street, Bellevue Avenue, and Pike Street. It will no longer operate on E Pine Street and a segment of E Madison Street. Additionally, trips will be added on weekdays and weekday trip times will be adjusted. The route will have 20-minute frequencies. Previously, Metro had pumped up the frequencies to 15 minutes at peak times.
12	This route will be revised to serve E Pine Street, with the new RapidRide G taking over for the 12’s current route on Madison Street. The route will have 20-minute frequencies from 6am to 7pm. Combined with Route 10, buses are scheduled to arrive every 10 minutes on weekdays along E Pine.
16	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended due to pandemic era impacts. Alternative service is available by Route 5.
20	This route will be deleted. The northern segment will be replaced by new Route 61. Riders will need to seek alternative options by walking farther distances in Green Lake, Tangletown, and Wallingford.
28	This route will be revised by adjusting its northern tail. Service will no longer be provided to Broadview and will instead terminate at NW 100th Place and 7th Avenue NW in Greenwood. The downtown commuter-oriented route retains its half-hour frequencies that spike to 15 minutes briefly during peak commute times.
47	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended for several years. Replacement service will be provided by Route 3.
49	Trip times will be revised for this route, which will offer 20-minute frequencies from 6am to midnight. Previously, this route offered 15-minute frequencies.
60	This route will benefit from added trips throughout the week with 13 more trips on weekdays between 6am and 7pm, two more trips on weekdays between 10pm and 12am, 26 more trips on Saturdays between 6am and 7pm, and 27 more trips between 6am and 7pm on Sundays. This will offer substantial frequency enhancements to the route, allowing consistent 12-minute frequencies.
61	This new route will provide east-west service from Greenwood to Lake City via Northgate, replacing a portion of deleted Route 20 in Licton Springs, Northgate, and Lake City. The western tail will terminate near the Greenwood Fred Meyer.
64	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended due to pandemic era impacts. Alternative service is available by Routes 62 and 65.
65	This route will be revised by extending its northern tail. Service will no longer terminate at NE 143rd Street and 17th Avenue NE and will instead be extended westward to Shoreline South/148th station.
73	This route will be deleted. Riders will need to seek alternative options by walking further distances in Maple Leaf, Roosevelt, and the U District.
101	This route will be revised in Downtown Seattle, no longer operating on Pike Street or Union Street and instead serving three new northbound stops and five new southbound stops.
102	This route will be revised in Downtown Seattle, no longer operating on Pike Street or Union Street and instead serving three new northbound stops and five new southbound stops.
125	This route will benefit from added trips throughout the week, with three more trips on weekdays between 7pm and 12am, eight more trips on Saturdays between 6am and 7pm, and 26 more trips between 6am and 7pm on Sundays. This will offer substantial frequency enhancements to the route and add Sunday service.
131	Trip times will be revised for this route.
132	Trip times will be revised for this route.
150	This route will be revised in Downtown Seattle, no longer operating on Pike Street or Union Street and instead serving three new northbound stops and five new southbound stops.
301	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended due to pandemic era impacts. Alternative service will be available by Routes 303, 333, 348, RapidRide E Line, Link 1 Line, and others.
302	This route will be permanently deleted. Alternative service will be available by Routes 303, 322, 348, and Link 1 Line.
303	This route will benefit from one additional morning peak hour trip and will be revised to serve South Lake Union from the Mercer Street interchange. It will continue to serve First Hill but from Boren Avenue.
304	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended due to pandemic era impacts. Alternative service will be available by Routes 331, 333, 348, and Link 1 Line.
320	This route will be permanently deleted. Service has been suspended due to pandemic era impacts. Alternative service will be available by Routes 61, 322, 522, and Link 1 Line.
322	This route will be revised by serving Northgate station instead of Roosevelt station and South Lake Union from the Mercer Street interchange. It will continue to serve First Hill from Boren Avenue.
330	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be available by Routes 65, 372, 333, and 345.
331	This route will be revised to serve Mountlake Terrace station and only terminate at Shoreline Community College at its southern tail.
333	This new route will provide service between Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline South/148th stations via Shoreline Community College, Central Shoreline, and North City.
345	This route will be revised to serve the Shoreline South/148th station for its northern tail and will no longer operate to Shoreline Community College.
346	This route will be revised to serve the Shoreline South/148th station for its southern tail via N/NE 155th Street and will no longer operate to Northgate station.
347	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be available by Routes 333, 348, 365, and Link 1 Line.
348	This route will be revised to serve Shoreline South/148th station, operate on NE 180th Street instead of NE 175th Street, and some trips on its northern tail will start and end at 8th Avenue NW instead of Richmond Beach.
365	This new route will provide service between Shoreline North/185th and Northgate stations via Ridgecrest, Haller Lake, and North Seattle College.
Metro Flex	Beginning on Monday, September 16, a new Metro Flex service area will operate in portions of Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore. It will operate on weekdays from 7am to 7pm.

Community Transit

Community Transit will also roll out a major bus restructure and a short extension of the Swift Blue Line on Saturday, September 14. Both sets of changes follow the opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension, largely providing more service throughout Southwest Snohomish County. Along with this, the agency is eliminating commuter bus fares since commuter routes into King County will cease, beyond one sole route between Snohomish/Monroe and Downtown Seattle. That means regular bus fares will apply consistently across all routes.

Route	Changes
Swift Blue Line	This route will be extended from Aurora Village Transit Center to Shoreline North/185th Street station.
103	This new route will provide from South Everett to Lynnwood City Center station via Paine Field, Mukilteo, and Alderwood. It will operate every 30 minutes during the day on weekdays, and every hour on weekday evenings and on weekends.
105	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Swift Green Line and Routes 103, 106, and 120.
106	This route will be revised to provide service between Mariner Park-and-Ride and UW Bothell/Cascadia College via Mill Creek and Canyon Park. It will operate hourly all days of the week.
107	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by Routes 103 and 117.
113	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by Routes 103 and 117.
117	This new route will provide service from Mukilteo Station and Lynnwood City Center station via SR 525. It will operate every 30 minutes during the day on weekdays, and every hour on weekday evenings and on weekends.
120	This route will be extended from Canyon Park Park-and-Ride to provide service to UW Bothell/Cascadia College via Bothell Way. It will operate every 30 minutes during peak weekday mornings and afternoons and hourly otherwise on weekdays and weekends.
121	This new route will provide service from Ash Way Park-and-Ride and Canyon Park Park-and-Ride, with limited extended service to UW Bothell/Cascadia College via East Bothell. It will operate the full length of the route during peak weekday mornings and afternoons. The core portion of the route will operate during other times on weekdays.
130	This route will be revised to provide service on 9th Avenue S/110th Avenue W instead of 5th Avenue S/Edmonds Way. The remainder of the route will stay the same. It will operate 30 minutes during peak weekday mornings and afternoons and hourly otherwise on weekdays and weekends.
227	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by Route 907.
247	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by Routes 905 and 907.
402	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line.
405	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line.
410	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Routes 201, 202, and 901.
412	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Route 901.
413	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Swift Orange Line.
415	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line, Swift Orange Line, and Route 103.
416	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line, Swift Blue Line, and Route 909.
417	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Route 117.
421	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Routes 904 and 905.
422	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Route 905.
425	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Route 903.
435	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line, Swift Green and Orange Lines, and Route 535.
810	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line, Swift Orange Line, and Routes 130, 201, 202, and 901.
821	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Routes 904 and 905.
860	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Routes 201, 202, and 901.
871	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line.
880	This route will be deleted. Alternative service will be principally provided by the Link 1 Line and Route 117.
901	This new route will provide express service from Silver Firs to Lynnwood City Center station via McCollum Park-and-Ride on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.
903	This new route will provide express service from Lake Stevens Transit Center to Lynnwood City Center station via South Everett Freeway Station on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.
904	This new route will provide express service from Marysville Cedar and Grove Park-and-Ride to Lynnwood City Center station via South Everett Freeway Station on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.
905	This new route will provide express service from Stanwood Downtown Park-and-Ride to Lynnwood City Center station via several commuter stops near I-5 on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.
907	This new route will provide express service from Stanwood I-5 Park-and-Ride to Seaway Transit Center via several commuter stops near I-5 on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.
909	This new route will provide express service from Edmonds Station and Mountlake Terrace station on weekdays only. It will provide service in the peak direction in the morning and afternoon.

The remainder of routes will see minor schedule changes, including the Swift Green and Orange Lines and Routes 101, 102, 109, 111, 112, 114, 119, 166, 201, 202, 209, 220, 222, 230, 270, 271, 280, and 424.

Sound Transit

Sound Transit is shaking up service beginning on September 14, mostly in response to the debut of Link 1 Line service to Lynnwood in late August. The agency will be modifying a variety of Seattle-Snohomish County ST Express bus routes to better support and connect with the Lynnwood Link Extension. Augmented bus service to Seattle will temporarily remain in order to compensate for insufficient frequencies and quantities of vehicles available for the 1 Line. Additionally, the agency is restoring the last round of trips to the Sound N Line, bringing service back to pre-pandemic levels. 

Route	Changes
1 Line	Service was extended to Lynnwood City Center station on August 30 and frequencies were slightly improved.
2 Line	Schedule adjustments will be made in order to support pre-revenue activities and simulated service between Downtown Redmond and Redmond Technology stations.
N Line	Beginning on Monday, September 16, two additional weekday roundtrips will be added, providing a total of four weekday roundtrips (riders can avail of additional service on Amtrak Cascades through the Rail Plus program).
510	The schedule will be adjusted to align with new N Line trips so that departures are offset.
512	The route will be revised to truncate at Lynnwood City Center station, trimming its southern segment that currently runs to Northgate station. Frequencies will be as high as every 15 minutes. Service will run in both directions throughout the week.
513	The route will be revised to truncate at Lynnwood City Center station, trimming its southern segment that currently runs to Northgate station. Frequencies will be as high as every 30 minutes. Service will only run on weekdays during peak periods and only in the peak direction.
515	Route 515 will serve as a new ST Express bus route between Lynnwood City Center and International District/Chinatown stations on weekdays in the peak direction from 4.30am to 8.50am and 3.00pm to 6.45pm approximately every 10 to 20 minutes. Stops will be provided throughout Downtown Seattle on 4th/5th Avenues and Stewart/Howell Streets as well as at Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station.
554	The route will be revised to serve Eastgate P&R Bay 1 instead of the Eastgate Freeway Station (I-90).
556	The route will be revised to serve Eastgate P&R Bay 1 instead of the Eastgate Freeway Station (I-90).
590	The schedule was adjusted to address crowding and a special extension of service was added from 10th & Commerce for the 4:50am trip on Monday, September 1.

Pierce Transit

Service changes were already implemented on Pierce Transit, beginning on Sunday, September 1. Schedules were adjusted on all routes, except Routes 57 and 217, to enhance service for riders. In addition, Pierce Transit added 22 trips to Route 3 on weekdays, allowing for 15-minute frequencies between 1pm and 6pm, as well as one extra evening weekday trip for Route 41 from Tacoma Mall Transit Center and one extra morning and afternoon trip on Route 100. The agency ended seasonal service on the Gig Harbor trolley route until next year.

Kitsap Transit

Service won’t be changing on Kitsap Transit, but the agency is set to roll out new fares beginning on Tuesday, October 1. These include the following changes:

• Fares on all fast ferries to Kitsap County from Seattle will rise by $2.00 to $10.00; 
• The Bus/Ferry Pass will be eliminated, however, cross-Sound passenger-only ferry passholders can get free rides on local foot ferries, bus routes, ACCESS, and on-demand/dial-a-ride services from Kitsap Transit using their monthly pass when tapping their ORCA cards. Current ORCA PugetPass holders may want to adjust their fare passes.
• Daily paid parking rates will rise by $2.00 to $7.00 daily at the Annapolis Ferry Terminal. Monthly parking permits will also increase by $35 to $115.
• Parking fines will also now apply, depending upon the situation, with $25 for EV overtime parking violations, $75 for rideshare parking violations, $100 for RV camping and overnight parking, and $450 for handicap parking space violations.

Intercity Transit

In Thurston County, Intercity Transit rolled out service changes on Sunday, September 8. Additional service was deployed, bringing total service levels to 102% of pre-pandemic levels. As part of this, weekday and weekend late night service was restored to Routes 12, 13, 41, 62A, 62B, 65, and 66. Route 41 will also have extended late night service on Fridays and Saturdays whenever The Evergreen State College is in session. 

Everett Transit

Service changes for Everett Transit went into effect on Sunday, September 8. The changes were fairly minimal, consisting mostly of adjustments to trip times.

Seattle Monorail

Service won’t be changing on the Seattle Monorail, but fares are slated to be revised upward on January 1, 2025. The fare change proposal shakes out as follows:

• Adult fares (aged 19-64) rising 50 cents to $4.00;
• Youth fares (aged 6-18) and reduced fares (e.g., seniors and ORCA LIFT) rising 25 cents to $2.00;
• Non-ORCA adult monthly passes rising $10.00 to $80.00; and 
• Non-ORCA reduced monthly passes rising $5.00 to $40.00.

The fare change proposal is open to public comment through October 21, 2024.

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