Sound Transit and Metro announce more service cuts

A double-decker Sound Transit bus and the Providence/Colby Medical Center in Everett

Beginning this weekend, Sound Transit and King County Metro are once again reducing service to meet demand for essential travel with fewer available drivers. They join several suburban agencies who have done their own second-route cuts, even as federal relief aid is expected to land here.

For Sound Transit, this means another frequency cut for Link, which will now run every 30 minutes all week beginning Monday, April 20. ST will have four-car trains on all Link trips. Several ST Express routes operated by Metro will also see new cuts to the number of trips. Ridership for Sound Transit has down 87 percent systemwide, while Metro is reporting a 70 percent decrease.

Sound Transit is also advising riders to only use transit services for essential trips, and to wear facial coverings. King County Metro has also instructed its security officers to enforce physical separation on buses where possible, and remove riders who are jeopardizing the safety of those on board.

More details on the cuts after the jump.

Sound Transit

The revised schedules can be viewed on Sound Transit's website. The reductions in Metro-operated ST Express service take effect today, with the following changes:

• Route 522: 15 cancelled trips on weekdays
• Route 541: All service cancelled
• Route 542: 10 cancelled trips on weekdays (mostly during peak periods); 17 cancelled trips on Saturdays
• Route 544: All service cancelled
• Route 545: 30 cancelled trips on weekdays (mostly during peak periods)
• Route 550: 34 cancelled trips on weekdays (mostly eastbound AM and westbound PM); 12 cancelled trips on Saturdays
• Route 554: Only two trips cancelled (weekday mornings)
• Routes 555/556: All service cancelled

ST Express routes operated by other agencies will continue with their existing cuts, which are as follows:

• Route 510: 9 cancelled trips (mostly in AM peak)
• Route 511: 8 cancelled trips (mostly in PM peak)
• Route 512: 14 cancelled trips on weekdays
• Route 513: 7 cancelled trips
• Route 532: 13 cancelled trips
• Route 535: 18 cancelled trips on weekdays
• Route 560: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 566: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 567: All service cancelled
• Route 574: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 577: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 578: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 580: All service cancelled
• Route 586: All service cancelled
• Route 590: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 592: All service cancelled
• Route 594: No changes to previous cuts
• Route 595: All service cancelled
• Route 596: All service cancelled

Sounder trip reductions remain in place, with seven round trips on the South Line and two round trips on the North Line. The following trips are cancelled:

• South Line: 1502, 1506, 1508, and 1518 from Lakewood; 1503, 1505, 1509, 1517, 1519, and 1523 from Seattle
• North Line: 1701 and 1705 from Everett; 1700 and 1704 from Seattle

Boarding instructions on the back door of a Sound Transit busKing County Metro

King County Metro will begin reducing weekend service today and weekday service on Monday, April 20. These cuts will represent 27 percent fewer trips than a typical weekday, 15 percent fewer trips on Saturdays, and 4 percent fewer trips on Sundays. At the moment, two-thirds of Metro's drivers and operators are available to work. Metro ridership is also down by 73 percent on normal routes, 68 percent on Access, and 97 percent on the water taxi.

The Metro website has a full list of affected routes, cancelled trips, and suggested alternatives for completely cancelled routes. As of April 18, these routes are currently affected:

Weekday service

• Most trips remain operating (under 2 cancelled): RapidRide A Line, 22, 60, 63, 64, 71, 73, 105, 106, 118, 119, 128, 131, 148, 164, 166, 168, 193, 221, 269, 303, 309, 331, 345, 348, ST 554, 628 (Snoqualmie Community Shuttle), 631 (Burien Community Shuttle), 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 916
• Reduced trips/hours: RapidRide B, C, D, E and F lines, and routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 62, 65, 67, 70, 75, 101, 107, 120, 124, 132, 150, 153, 156, 169, 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 204, 225, 226, 230, 231, 239, 240, 241, 245, 249, 250, 255, 271, 346, 347, 372, 373, ST Express routes 522, 542, 545, 550, route 635 (Des Moines Community Shuttle), 915, 917, Water Taxi West Seattle and Vashon routes, First Hill Streetcar, Link light rail
• Full cancellation: 5X, 9, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21X, 29, 37, 47, 55, 56, 57, 74, 76, 77, 78, 102, 111, 113, 114, 116, 121, 122, 123, 125, 143, 154, 157, 158, 159, 167, 177, 178, 179, 186, 190, 192, 197, 200, 208, 212, 214, 216, 217, 218, 219, 224, 232, 237, 246, 252, 257, 268, 301, 304, 308, 311, 312, 316, 330, 342, 355, ST 541, ST 555, ST 556, 630 (Mercer Island Community Shuttle), 773, 775, 823, 824, 886, 887, 888, 889, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 907, 910, 913, 930, 931, 952, 980, 981, 982, 984, 986, 987, 988, 989, 994, 995, Black Diamond/Enumclaw Community Ride, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Community Ride, Normandy Park Community Ride, Sammamish Community Ride, Juanita Area Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride, Via to Transit, Seattle South Lake Union Streetcar

Saturday service

• Most or all trips operating: RapidRide A, D, E and F Lines, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 24, 27, 28, 31, 33, 45, 49, 60, 62, 71, 73, 101, 105, 107, 120, 124, 148, 156, 164, 168, 180, 182, 183, 187, 225, 230, 231, 240, 245, 271, ST 522, ST 545, ST 554, 635 (Des Moines Community Shuttle), 901, 903, 906, 908, 914, 915, 916, 917
• Reduced trips/hours: RapidRide B and C Lines, 1, 2, 5, 12, 13, 14, 21, 26, 32, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 48, 50, 65, 67, 70, 75, 106, 128, 131, 132, 150, 166, 169, 181, 239, 250, 255, 269, 331, 345, 346, 347, 348, 372, ST 542, ST 550, First Hill Streetcar, Link light rail
• Full cancellation: 22, 47, 118, 125, 208, 221, 226, 241, 249, 910, South Lake Union Streetcar, Water Taxi West Seattle and Vashon routes, Via to Transit, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Community Ride, Normandy Park Community Ride, Sammamish Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride

Sunday service

• Most or all trips operating: RapidRide A, B, C, D, E and F Lines, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 32, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 60, 62, 65, 67, 70, 73, 75, 101, 105, 106, 107, 120, 124, 128, 131, 132, 148, 150, 156, 166, 168, 169, 180, 181, 182, 187, 225, 230, 231, 239, 240, 245, 250, 255, 271, 331, 346, 347, 348, 372, ST 522, ST 542, ST 545, ST 550, ST 554, 901, 903
• Reduced trips/hours: First Hill Streetcar, Link light rail
• Full cancellation: 22, 47, 118, 125, 221, 226, 241, 249, South Lake Union Streetcar, Water Taxi West Seattle and Vashon routes, Via to Transit, Shoreline/Lake Forest Community Ride, Bothell/Woodinville Community Ride

In addition to these cancellations, Metro has rolled out new changes to its Access paratransit service. Riders with disabilities can use Access without being pre-certified, and a streamlined eligibility process has been put in place. Trips are limited to two passengers at a time and fares will not be collected.

Suburban agencies

Community Transit made further cuts to their routes last week, which included full cancellation of Route 247 (Boeing-Stanwood) and large cuts to 800-series routes serving the University District. The following routes will have only one trip per direction per day due to low demand: 107, 227, 412, 435, and 821.

Updated April 20: Community Transit has announced that it will restore service for Boeing employees beginning Tuesday, April 21. These restored trips are marked in the Reduced Schedule section and include routes 107, 109, 130, 196, 202, 227, 247, 435, 855, and 880.

Pierce Transit has implemented a limit of 15 passenger per bus. Ridership is down to 8,500 on weekdays, which is about 30 percent of normal ridership levels. The agency has added back a handful of trips on certain routes for essential workers, and has opened a hotline (253-581-8000, option 2) to give free rides to essential workers on weekdays. Trips must be reserved in advance and is meant for areas where routes have been cancelled entirely.

Washington State Ferries will remain on its winter schedule through June 20. All vehicle reservations for summer trips on the San Juan Islands and Port Townsend-Coupeville/Keystone routes will be cancelled. While onboard ferries, drivers are encouraged to remain in their vehicles and walk-on passengers are asked to use physical separation. All galleys are also closed.