 Route 255, photo courtesy of Metro Transit
Changes Coming to Transit Tomorrow
I hope that most of us are able to stay home and practice social distancing as required and recommended by our Public Health authorities. But for those who do need to travel and will rely on transit, I want to alert you to changes coming to Metro Transit and Sound Transit service starting tomorrow, Saturday March 21.
Metro to Temporarily Cease Collecting All Fares, and Will Ask Most Riders to Board at the Rear Doors
Metro will end fare collections until further notice effective tomorrow, Saturday, March 21st. To make it easier for both drivers and passengers to practice social distancing, riders will not be required to pay fares when riding King County Metro services, including buses, water taxi and Access Paratransit, until further notice. Riders also will be directed to board and exit at the rear doors of buses, reserving front-door access for customers using mobility devices or who require use of the boarding ramp.
These changes are being temporarily implemented keep our transit operators safe and driving during the COVID-19 outbreak. By directing the majority of rider access to buses via the rear door, both riders and drivers will more easily be able to follow best practices for social distancing to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Sound Transit is still considering changes to operations and expects to announce any changes, soon.
Bus Service Changes in and Around the 520 Corridor Likely to Cause Temporary Delays
Long-planned bus service changes are also set to begin in Bothell, Kirkland, Kenmore, Woodinville and Redmond. As a reminder, beginning tomorrow, the 255 bus will terminate at Husky Stadium, and riders will need to transfer to light rail to complete the trip to downtown Seattle. Other changes are also planned, which you can read here.
At the same time, Metro and Sound Transit are temporarily reducing transit hours across King County in response to the coronavirus epidemic, with its resulting dramatically reduced ridership and likelihood of decreased availability of transit operators. Read more about the Metro Transit service reduction here and Sound Transit’s plans to temporarily reduce service here.
Because both of these changes are happening at the same time, to the new service model in northeast King County is bound to be bumpy. At a minimum, we expect delays for people making the transfer from the bus to rail at the UW. Please be aware and plan accordingly.
Again, we should all be staying home and practicing social distancing if at all possible as required and as recommended by public health. But if you do need to travel and take transit for work or other essential needs, please drop me a line at Claudia.Balducci@kingcounty.gov to let me know how these changes are working. Understanding your real-world experiences will help me to advocate for changes to make things smoother.
As always but especially now, please reach out to me and my staff so we can better serve you.
Thank you and be well,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
District 6
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