Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 44

King County Metro's Route 44 travels inbound from Ballard to UW Station via Wallingford and the University District. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In October 2024, Route 44 had 6,663 average weekday boardings.

Route 44 Map from King County MetroAverage Ridership Per Trip

The plots below show the average weekday ridership by stop in each direction, color-coded by time of day. For a more detailed breakdown of how the plots are set up, please refer to the How to Read the Plots section of the article discussing Route 70.

Average Weekday Ridership per Route 44 Trip: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward UW Station; Outbound" is toward Ballard. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

The ridership patterns for Route 44 show strong all-day ridership in both directions. Some observations:

• The western terminus for Route 44 in Ballard has decent ridership throughout the day. There are a few mid-rise apartment buildings and shops in the area around this stop. The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are also nearby.
• Downtown Ballard is served by a few stops along NW Market St. The stops at Ballard Ave and 20th St both have decent ridership all day. Inbound trips primarily pick up passengers while outbound trips primarily drop off passengers. Route 44 shares the Ballard Ave stop with routes 17 and 40. The ridership data for Route 40 shows strong inbound boardings and outbound departures in downtown Ballard. While some passengers may transfer between the two routes, no clear pattern can be determined from the data.
• The stop pair at NW Market St and 15th Ave NW has strong all day ridership. Similar to the other stops in Ballard, these stops primarily see passengers board inbound trips and alight outbound trips. These stops are near a few apartment buildings, two grocery stores, and various shops and restaurants. Passengers can easily transfer here to the D Line. The D Line stops are well used, primarily by inbound passengers boarding and outbound passengers departing. Given the strong all day ridership for both Route 44 and the D Line, it is likely that some passengers transfer between these routes.
• Ridership per stop drops significantly for the stops on Market St east of 15th Ave. While there are a few small commercial areas, these stops primarily serve low-density residential neighborhoods.Ridership at Market St & 8th Ave NW is slightly higher than the adjacent stops. This may be due to a few passengers transferring to/from Route 28.
• Route 44's ridership picks up again at N 46th St & Phinney Ave N. This stop pair is close to the Woodland Park Zoo, several apartment buildings, and low-density residential buildings. Inbound morning and midday trips primarily pick up passengers, while inbound afternoon trips pick up and drop off an even number of riders. Outbound trips primarily drop off passengers at all times of the day, with a significant increase in alightings per trip in the afternoon. Riders can transfer to Route 5 at this stop. The ridership data for Route 5 show passengers departing inbound trips throughout the day at its stop near 46th St. The data suggests some passengers transfer from inbound Route 5 trips to inbound Route 44 trips in the morning and from outbound Route 44 trips to outbound Route 5 trips in the afternoon (eg: commuting from Phinney Ridge to UW).
• Inbound and outbound trips have a different stop pattern around the Aurora Ave overpass. Inbound trips stop at 46th St & Linden Ave. Despite the stop's name, it is located immediately next to the staircase that leads up to the southbound E Line stop on Aurora Ave. Outbound trips have two stops near Aurora Ave: 46th St & Green Lake Way is located about a block east of Aurora Ave and Aurora Ramp & Fremont Ave is located about a block west of Aurora Ave. Similar to most of Route 44's stops discussed so far, inbound trips primarily pick up passengers while outbound trips primarily drop off passengers. Ridership data for the E Line show trips in both directions have strong ridership with an even number of passengers boarding and alighting. Given the lack of significant trip generators in the area around this stop, it is highly likely that passenger are transferring between Route 44 and the E Line.
• In Wallingford, Route 44 stops on either side of Stone Way N. Inbound trips throughout the day pick up a few passengers at this stop. Morning trips drop off a similar number of passengers, while inbound trips later in the day drop off fewer passengers. Outbound trips have noticeably fewer passengers board or alight at this stop, with most ridership occurring in the afternoon. Passengers can transfer to Route 62 at this stop, as well as at 45th St & Woodlawn Ave and 45th St & Wallingford Ave. Ridership data for Route 62 does not show a clear transfer pattern with Route 44 at these stops.There are likely some passengers who transfer between Route 44 and Route 62, but not enough to stand out in the data.
• Route 44 continues to provide convenient access to the many shops and restaurants in Wallingford with its stop at 45th St & Woodlawn Ave. Both inbound and outbound trips in the morning primarily drop off passengers at this stop, likely students at the nearby Lincoln High School.
• At 45th St & Wallingford Ave, trips in both directions are busy throughout the day. This stop pair is in the heart of the Wallingford commercial area and is directly outside a QFC grocery store.
• In the University District, Route 44 stops at 45th St & Roosevelt Ave (inbound)/9th Ave NE (outbound). Inbound trips primarily drop off passengers here while outbound trips primarily pick up passengers. This stop pair is located near many apartment buildings, shops and restaurants, and a grocery store. Passengers can also transfer to routes 31, 32, 65, 67, and Sound Transit Route 586 at this stop.
• U District Station is the busiest stop pair on the route with inbound passengers alighting and outbound passengers boarding. Inbound trips stop on 45th St just west of University Way (The Ave") and outbound trips stop immediately outside the station's south entrance on 43th St. In addition to the Link 1 Line, passengers can transfer here to routes 31, 32, 45, 48, 49, 70, 75, 79, 372, and Sound Transit Route 586.
• Along 15th Ave, inbound trips continue to drop off passengers with higher ridership in the morning and midday. Outbound trips pick up passengers with the highest ridership in the afternoon. Passengers can transfer to many of the previously mentioned routes, as well as routes 255, 271, and Sound Transit routes 542, 556.
• Route 44's inbound terminus is located near the University of Washington's campus, UW Medical Center, and the University of Washington Link Station. Ridership at this stop reflects a commute pattern with significantly more passengers alighting in the morning and boarding in the afternoon than at other times of day. Some Route 44 trips are either preceded or followed by a Route 43 trip. The ridership patterns for Route 43 are outlined in the appendix below.

Daily Totals per Stop

The average daily total boarding and alighting counts show a similar pattern to the per trip data. Route 44 is well utilized along most segments of its corridor.In discrepancy in total daily riders for stops along 15th Ave NE and NE Pacific St between inbound and outbound trips is due to some inbound trips switching to Route 43 at U District Station.

Average Route 44 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward UW Station; Outbound" is toward Ballard. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Looking Ahead

Seattle Department of Transportation's Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor project for Route 44 was completed in 2023. In June 2024, King County Metro released the RapidRide Prioritization Plan. This document identifies Corridor 1012 (Route 44) as a Tier 2 priority corridor. In the plan, Route 44's alignment is not changed. Instead, Bus or BAT lanes are added for most of the westbound (outbound) route, and in Ballard for the Eastbound (inbound) route.

Additionally, Sound Transit is in the environmental review phase for the Ballard Link Extension. Route 44 will provide east-west service to this extension when it starts service in 2039. As a result, the ridership patterns will likely change as some riders will use Route 44 as a feeder route for Link.

Appendix: Route 43

While Route 43 started as an all day Metro route, it has since been cut back to just more than peak only service. It is operated by buses that primarily serve Route 44 when they travel to or from the base. Route 43 travels trough First Hill, Capitol Hill, Montlake, and the University District.

Average Route 43 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward First Hill; Outbound" is toward the University District. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.