(Image: King County Metro)

Worries about some of the financial engines that drive the system have softened. The days when Metro’s service announcements were more about the addition of partitions and free mask dispensers are in the rearview mirror. The county transit system is rolling out a set of mostly normal feeling route updates as part of its spring service update.

In October, Metro restored 36 routes that had been on hiatus during the pandemic. The March changes will feature a mix of updates and changes plus increased service on many routes thanks Seattle’s Frequent Transit Network funded through the Seattle Transit Measure.

March service change highlights

• Routes with schedule changes: 5, 7, 12, 14, 20, 21, 48, 49, 50, 60, 106, 107, 124, 128, 269, 302, 303, 345, 346, 635 and South Lake Union Streetcar.
• Routes with added service as part of Seattle’s Frequent Transit Network, funded through the Seattle Transit Measure: 5, 12, 14, 20, 21, 60, 106, 124, 345 and 346.
• Routes with added or adjusted trips to support demand at public school bell times: 48, 50, 107, 128 and 269.
• Route 125 is temporarily suspended on Saturdays due to workforce shortages.
• The following routes remain fully suspended: 19, 37, 47, 116, 118X, 119X, 122, 123, 143, 154, 157, 178, 179, 197, 200, 219, 252 and 931.

The agency said it believes the changes will give it the capacity it needs as work and life habits change with this stage of the ongoing pandemic.

“About 96% of Metro’s service and more than 160 bus routes are operating each day, carrying about 180,000 weekday riders in support of travel needs across King County,” the Metro announcement reads.

Metro says some habits have changed with people more consistently riding throughout the day instead of the typical peak commute times of the past.

Metro data shows that recent ridership growth “is driven by schools, universities and some employers, and that major employers are gradually wading back into hybrid return-to-work approaches.”

Metro is also facing staffing issues familiar to businesses and organizations across the country. “Minor service reductions are temporarily in place due to ongoing workforce shortages, which Metro is working to address by hiring, training and promoting transit operators,” it says.

Metro says further service restorations will be revisited once its workforce levels “stabilize.”

You can learn more on Metro’s service change page.

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