Ridership Patterns for RapidRide B Line

King County Metro's RapidRide B Line travels inbound from Redmond to Bellevue via Overlake and Crossroads. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In January 2025, the B Line had 4,531 average weekday boardings.

The data shown in the plots below were collected between March and September 2024. Sound Transit's Link 2 Line started operating on April 27, 2024 and runs between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology. The B Line and Link 2 Line intersect at Downtown Bellevue and Redmond Technology stations. This likely resulted in some ridership pattern changes; however, overall B Line ridership remained fairly consistent month to month around the time of 2 Line opening. Sherwin Lee discussed the initial 2 Line ridership data in August 2024.

B Line 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 B Line Trip: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward Bellevue Transit Center; Outbound" is toward Redmond Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

The B Line ridership patterns show a route that connects a few significant destinations, separated by areas of low ridership. Some observations:

• Redmond Transit Center has moderate ridership all day. The transit center is located near several apartment buildings and is near the center of downtown Redmond. Redmond Transit Center is a Park & Ride facility with 377 spaces and also serves routes 221, 224, 250, 930, and Sound Transit routes 542, 545.
• West of downtown Redmond, the B Line stops in Rose Hill and Grass Lawn have minimal use. Overall, this segment tends to see a few passengers board inbound trips and alight outbound trips. The land use around this segment is almost exclusively single family homes.
• South of NE 51st St, the land use around 148th Ave NE changes. The west side of 148th Ave has garden apartment buildings, multi-family housing, and the Pro Club fitness center. The east side is populated by a small shopping center and office buildings. The office buildings are primarily occupied by Nintendo and Microsoft. Ridership at the two stops in this area is minor, with just a passenger or two boarding each inbound trip and alighting each outbound trip. Stops along this segment also serve routes 221, 225, and 269.
• On the other side of SR 520, the B Line stops at Redmond Technology Station. Inbound (to Bellevue) morning trips pick up and drop off an even number of passengers. Throughout the day, ridership at this stop shifts to more passengers boarding and fewer passengers alighting. Afternoon inbound trips pick up more passengers than any other time of day. Outbound (to Redmond) B trips drop of 2-3 passengers per trip at all times of day. These trips pick up fewer passengers, except in the afternoon when 3-4 passengers board each trip. This station is located in the center of Microsoft's campus and is a Park & Ride with 323 spaces. In addition to Link 2 Line, passengers can transfer to routes 225, 245, 249, and Sound Transit routes 542, 545, 566. Most of Microsoft's private Connector bus routes stop here.
• South of Redmond Technology Station, the B Line detours off of 156th Ave to better serve Overlake. While the B Line passes directly next to the Overlake Village Link station, it's closest stop is located about 700 ft away at 152nd Ave & 36th St. This stop has minimal use.
• The B Line has two stops that serve Overlake: Overlake Park & Ride and 156th Ave & 24th St (inbound)/ 24th St & Bel-Red Rd (outbound). These stops are busy through out the day. The stop at Overlake Park & Ride has an equal number of passengers boarding and alighting each trip, in both directions. This stop is located about a block west of the P&R and is next to many shops and restaurants, as well as a few apartment buildings. Overlake P&R has 203 spaces and also serves routes 221, 249, and 269. The other Overlake stop pair is split around the triangle formed by 156th Ave, 24th St, and Bel-Red Rd. This stop pair is also located near shops, restaurants, and apartments. Throughout the day, passengers primarily use this stop to board inbound trips and alight outbound trips.
• South of Overlake, the B Line stops at 156th St & 15th St. This stop is surrounded by garden apartments and multi-family housing, which explains the stop's unique ridership pattern. Trips in both directions primarily pick up passengers in the morning and mid-day, and primarily drop off passengers in the afternoon, evening, and night.
• The B Line stops outside of Crossroads shopping center at 156th Ave NE & NE 10th St. Inbound (to Bellevue) trips generally pick up more passengers than they drop off and are busiest in the mid-day and afternoon. Outbound (to Redmond) trips primarily drop off passengers at this stop and are busy after 9am. In addition to Crossroads mall, this stop is surrounded by various other shops, restaurants, and small apartment buildings. This stop pair is also served by Route 245.
• Between Crossroads and downtown Bellevue, the B Line travels along NE 8th St. Most stops along this segment have minor ridership. The stop at 140th Ave has a strong commuter ridership pattern with a few passengers boarding each morning and mid-day inbound trips and a few passengers alighting each afternoon, evening, and night outbound trip. This stop is located near a few shops and a large apartment complex.
• Passengers can transfer between the B Line and Link 2 Line at Wilburton Station with the B Line's stops at 8th St & 120th Ave (inbound)/8th St & 116th Ave (outbound). Despite the B Line passing directly in front of Wilburton Station, the inbound stop is located 650 ft east of the station. The outbound stop is located across the street from the station and passengers can transfer using Eastrail's 8th St overpass.
• Bellevue Transit Center is the busiest stop on the route. Inbound trips drop off 10-20 passengers per trip in the morning, mid-day, and afternoon, while outbound trips pick up 10-25 passengers per trip after 9am. Bellevue TC is located walking distance to many office buildings, Bellevue Library, and Bellevue Square. The 2 Line's stop at Downtown Bellevue Station is adjacent to the Bellevue TC. Bellevue TC also serves routes 226, 240, 241, 246, 249, 250, 271, and Sound Transit routes 532, 535, 550, 560, 556, 566.

Daily Totals per Stop

The average daily total boarding and alighting counts show a similar pattern to the per trip data. Unsurprisingly, ridership is higher in denser neighborhoods such as Crossroads and Overlake.

Average B Line Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward Bellevue Transit Center; Outbound" is toward Redmond Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Looking Ahead

The current B Line routing is far from permanent. To prepare for the Sound Transit's Downtown Redmond Link Extension opening on May 10, Metro will slightly adjusting the B Line's route the same day. This change will extend the route from Redmond Transit Center to Downtown Redmond Station. Additionally, the Overlake detour will be removed. Instead, the B Line will stay on 156th Ave NE between Crossroads and Redmond Technology Station with a new stop at 156th Ave & 28th St.

Later this year, Metro will implement its East Link Restructure when the full 2 Line opens across Lake Washington. The B Line does not have any further changes in this restructure, through the overhaul of Metro's Eastside routes and the full 2 Line opening will certainly impact its ridership patterns.

Longer term, Metro has proposed splitting the B Line into two RapidRide routes: an east-west route from Crossroads to the University District and a north-south route from Redmond to South Bellevue Station.