Ridership Patterns for King County Metro Route 75

King County Metro Route 75 travels inbound from Northgate station to the University District, primarily on NE 125th Street and Sand Point Way NE. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. In August 2025, Route 75 had 3,393 average weekday boardings.

In the plots shown below, the inbound trip is cut off as Route 75 is through run with Route 45. Inbound trips switch to Route 45 after Sand Point Way NE & 40th Ave NE. Likewise, outbound trips start with some passengers already onboard as these passengers boarded an inbound Route 45 trip.

Route 75 Map (King County Metro)Average 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 75 Trip: September 2024 to March 2025. Inbound" is toward the University District, Outbound" is toward Northgate station. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

Route 75 connects a few key destinations including Northgate, Lake City, Magnuson Park, Seattle Children's Hospital, and UW. Ridership at stops between these destinations is quite low. Some observations:

• Route 75's northern terminus at Northgate station is busy all day. Each inbound trip picks up over 10 passengers in the afternoon and around 5 passengers at other times of the day. Each outbound trip drops off over 10 passengers in the morning and over 5 passengers in the mid-day and afternoon. Northgate station is also adjacent to the Northgate Station mall, Kraken Community Iceplex, and various medical offices. A pedestrian bridge over I-5 provides a direct connection to North Seattle College. In addition to the Link 1 Line, passengers can transfer to Metro routes 40, 61, 303, 322, 345, and 348.
• The stops at 5th Ave NE & 112th St (inbound)/112th St, Northgate Way (outbound) are located near Northgate's commercial core. The fairly even boarding and alighting counts in both directions suggest these stops are used by both people from elsewhere on Route 75 to get to Northgate and by people using the route as a last mile connection to Link, such as those at the adjacent Northgate North shopping center
• Several apartment buildings and a grocery store are near the higher ridership stop NE 125th St & 15th Ave NE. Inbound busses traveling towards Lake City and UW usually pick up more passengers here while Northgate-bound busses drop off more passengers than they pick up. Route 348 also stops near this intersection.
• Lake City is one of the primary destinations served by Route 75. Centered at NE 125th St & Lake City Way NE, the stops serving Lake City usually have more passengers boarding outbound trips to Northgate and alighting trips towards Magnuson Park. This pattern shows how Route 75 is used to connect Lake City with Northgate (both the commercial area and Link). Passengers can transfer in Lake City to Metro routes 61, 65, 322, 372 and Sound Transit Route 522.
• Matthews Beach only generates minimal peak direction ridership at the Route 75 stops on Sand Point Way NE.
• Ridership picks up in Sand Point, near Magnuson Park. The stops at NE 70th St and NE 74th St have consistent ridership all day. At the southwest corner of Magnuson Park, the stop at NE 65th St follows a commuter ridership pattern. Inbound trips primarily pick up passengers in the morning and mid-day while outbound trip drop off more passengers in the afternoon. This stop is near several low-rise apartment complexes. The ridership patterns for Route 62 and Route 79 suggest some passengers transfer between the three routes at this stop.
• Seattle Children's Hospital is located near Route 75's stop at Sand Point Way NE and NE 50th St. Trips in both directions primarily drop off passengers in the morning and pick up passengers in the afternoon. Routes 31, 32, and 65 also stop near the hospital.
• The stops on the University of Washington campus and in the University District generate lots of mid-day and afternoon ridership. Route 75 busses continue to Loyal Heights as Route 45. In the University District, passengers can transfer to Metro routes 31, 32, 43, 44, 49, 65, 67, 70, 255, 271, 372 and Sound Transit routes 542, 556, 586.

Daily Totals per Stop

The daily totals further highlight the key destinations on the route and the role that Route 75 plays in connecting Lake City with the 1 Line at Northgate station.

Average Route 75 Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2024 to September 2024. Inbound" is toward the University District; Outbound" is toward Northgate station. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.Looking Ahead

In 2026, Sound Transit is planning to open Pinehurst station near I-5 and N 130th St. To better serve nearby neighborhoods Metro will restructure a few routes. Route 75 will not be changed, but the new Route 77 will travel between Lake City and Pinehurst station, offering a faster connection to Link.

Lynnwood Link Connections: Final Network Proposal Map