SHORELINE—King County Metro and Community Transit are rolling out major changes to bus service starting Saturday, September 14. This historic service change is designed so that people can take advantage of new, regional public transit options such as new connections to Sound Transit Link 1 Line in King and Snohomish counties.
“This is exactly what the region needs,” King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison said during Wednesday’s presser at Shoreline North Transit Station. “The region continues to ask for more services, for frequent service, for service investments in the middle of the day and on weekends, because life happens.”
Allison shared that King County Metro will be providing 3,700 additional bus trips per week into Snohomish County—a 5% weekday and 8% weekend increase.
King County Metro’s new RapidRide G Line will serve Madison Valley, Capitol Hill, the Central District, First Hill and downtown Seattle. There will be additional bus connections to Sound Transit’s Link 1 Line northward extension to Lynnwood. Also, the new Metro Flex on-demand service is launching in the Northshore area.
“It has been [an] incredibly exciting moment to release the plans we work so hard for,” Allison said. I want to thank our staff of King County Metro and our partnership with Community Transit so the integration and services between the agencies and the counties is seamless.”
At its new Swift Blue Line station and southern terminus for Community Transit at Shoreline North Transit Station located at 18510 7th Ave NE, CEO Ric Ilgenfritz shared that Light rail is creating new transit options for both Snohomish and King County transit agencies.
“Our job here is to make life easier for people,” Ilgenfritz said. “These changes are allowing us to take a huge step forward in that regard.”
Community Transit will be pulling virtually all bus services out of King County and redeploying these throughout Snohomish County to support more frequent and reliable service.
For example, the Community Transit buses on the University of Washington/Downtown Seatle route will has been redeploying to Snohomish.
Ilgenfritz shared that Community Transit is investing in a more robust Express Service aligning Edmonds/Mountlake Terrace and Mukilteo/Lynnwood routes with Ferry schedules and connecting these with Light rail stations, that begin on September 14.
The transit agency will now offer direct service from Stanwood, Marysville, and Lake Stevens to Lynnwood.
The new Swift bus rapid transit (BRT) system has grown to a record 33,000 weekly riders, Ilgenfritz told the Lynnwood Times; on the first Tuesday after Lynnwood City Light Rail opened, Swift carried approximately 12,500 riders that day alone.
He added that the day light rail opened, the Swift Orange Line saw a 59% increase to 3,100 daily riders. However, commuter routes are now down 40% since the light rail system opened as ridership shifts from Community Transit’s I-5 commuter bus to light rail.
John Gallagher, spokesperson for Sound Transit, shared with the Lynnwood Times that on the official opening day of Lynnwood Link on August 30, boardings at the four light rail stations were 31,900. The total for the Labor Day weekend (August 30 through September 2) was 72,000.
“Zip is continuing to kill it,” Ilgenfritz replied when asked about its performance.
The Lynnwood Zip ride share service that launched on October 20, 2022. Since then, the fleet has expanded from three vehicles to five and clocked approximately 23,000 trips, gaining 20 to 30 new passengers every week. This fall, Community Transit will be expanding this micro transit service option to North County in Arlington, Darrington, and Lake Stevens.
When pressed on if the transit agency is considering offering Zip in Mukilteo, Ilgenfritz replied, “Stay tune!”
Currently, Community Transit is piloting an all-electric and a hydrogen powered bus for the emergence of a future zero-emission fleet to reduce its carbon footprint in servicing residents. Allison shared that King County Metro is at the preliminary stages of developing its zero-emission fleet and is awaiting performance data from Community Transit to aide in determining “diverse transit options.”
“Communicating and coordinating with Sound Transit has been central to our ability to building this new network,” Ilgenfritz said, also thanking WSDOT, the Federal Transit Administration, and federal partners who collectively provided billions of dollars to the new multimodal transit system in Snohomish County that began on August 30 with Light rail and now commence with transit bussing on September 14.
Regional connections
Commuter bus routes from Snohomish County to Northgate and Seattle are being replaced with local and express routes that connect to Sound Transit Link 1 Line and other major transit hubs for easy travel between counties. Some of these routes will provide an increase in all-day, bi-directional service, including some with weekend service. Swift Blue Line bus rapid transit is also extending south to connect to the Shoreline North/185th Link station. There are also local routes that connect to light rail at Lynnwood City Center Station and Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station.
New destinations
Several new routes will help people get to key locations in Snohomish County. Here are a few highlights:
- Route 909 will provide all-day service between the Edmonds ferry and Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station seven days a week. This provides an easy connection to light rail for Seattle-bound travelers from Kingston.
- Route 117 will provide all-day service between the Mukilteo ferry and Lynnwood City Center Station seven days a week. This provides an easy connection to light rail for Seattle-bound travelers from Whidbey Island.
- Route 121 will serve new areas along North Rd and Hwy 524, including Lynnwood High School and UW Bothell/Cascadia College.
- Riders from King County looking for a new shopping experience can combine a ride on Link 1 Line to Lynnwood with a quick trip on Swift Orange Line or Zip Shuttle to Alderwood Mall.
- Route 905 will provide all-day, weekday service between Stanwood and Lynnwood City Center Station.
- Several new express routes will serve South Everett Freeway Station, so that people traveling from Everett have more options to connect with light rail.
Simple bus fares
Community Transit has made bus fares simple. It’s $2.50 for all adult fares, $1.25 discounted fares for those who qualify, and kids 18 and under ride free. Using an ORCA card is the easiest way to pay and you get a two-hour transfer window so you can apply your fare to rides on other transit systems.
Here’s more information so riders can get ready for Sept. 14:
- Check Maps & Schedules on Community Transit’s website to view the Sept. 14 preview schedules.
- Use the Plan My Trip tool to build a customized trip plan any time. Be sure to set the arrival or departure date to on or after Sept. 14.
- Sign up for Rider Alerts.
- Visit the Service Change web page to see maps and videos for changing routes.
- Contact Customer Care at riders@commtrans.org or (425) 353-RIDE (7433) for personalized trip planning or printed materials, now open on Saturdays.
Community Transit provides bus and paratransit service, vanpool, and innovative transit options in Snohomish County. The agency is expanding the Swift bus rapid transit network to connect people to light rail and provide fast, frequent service throughout the county.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Article updated 10:52 p.m., September 13, 2024, with opening weekend Lynnwood Link ridership numbers from Sound Transit.
Author: Mario Lotmore
