Fall 2026 Service Change: East King County
Metro Route 271 will be replaced by routes 270, 220, and 203. Starting August 29, King County Metro and Sound Transit will be revising routes on the Eastside. These changes are primarily due to the full 2 Line opening in March 2026. Overall, this restructure is focused on reducing redundant service with the 2 Line while improving frequency and reliability. The Fall 2026 restructure also includes routes in south King County and Pierce County, as well as north King County (will be covered in a future article).
See the full list of changes below or skip to: Central (Bellevue), North (Kirkland/Redmond/Bothell/Woodinville), South (Renton/Mercer Island), East (Issaquah/North Bend), or Night-Owl.
Central (Bellevue)Route 220 is a new route that will travel between Eastgate and downtown Bellevue, via Bellevue College, Lake Hills, and East Main station. During the day, trips will run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.
Route 220 map (Metro)Route 249 will be updated between South Kirkland P&R and downtown Bellevue. Rather than serve Bellevue Way, the route will travel through Medina, Clyde Hill, and Hunts Point. The new Route 270 will provide service on Bellevue Way.
Route 249 map (Metro)Route 270 is a new route that will travel between downtown Bellevue and the University District, via Bellevue Way and SR-520. The route replaces part of Route 271 and part of Route 249 on north Bellevue Way.During the day, trips will run every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.
Route 270 map (Metro)Route 271 will be deleted and replaced by routes 270, 220, and 203.
Route 550 will be deleted and replaced by the 2 Line and Route 556.
North (Kirkland/Redmond/Bothell/Woodinville)Most of the changes for Metro routes in the northeast have already taken effect. The last remaining new route, Route 251, will begin service in Spring 2027 between Redmond and Woodinville.
Route 535 will now run every 30 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. This is a significant improvement from the current 60 minute frequency on Saturday and no Sunday service.
South (Renton/Mercer Island)Route 111 will be updated to terminate at South Bellevue and to shorten its loop in East Renton Highlands. Additionally, it will be upgraded from a peak-only route to run all day, everyday at 30 minute frequency (15 minutes during peak).
Route 111 map (Metro)Route 630 will be slightly revised in First Hill to stop on 9th Ave. Metro is adding one additional inbound trip and two new outbound trips to improve the route's frequency to 30 minutes.
Route 630 map (Metro)East (Issaquah/North Bend)Route 215 is a new route that will travel between Mercer Island and North Bend, via Eastgate, Issaquah Highlands, and Snoqualmie. Trips will run every 30 minutes between Mercer Island and Issaquah Highlands. Every third trip will continue to North Bend, resulting in a 90 minute frequency between Mercer Island and North Bend.Frequency between Issaquah and North Bend will be improved from 120 minutes to 90 minutes. Additionally, service along this segment will now run on Sunday.
Route 215 map (Metro)Route 218 will be updated to terminate at Mercer Island. Its frequency will be improved from five peak-direction trips per day to run every 30 minutes in the peak direction between 5:30am to 9:00am and 4:15pm to 7:15pm.
Route 218 map (Metro)Route 269 will be updated to travel between Marymoor Village and Mercer Island. The route will no longer serve local stops in Issaquah nor the Issaquah Transit Center. Weekday peak frequency will be improved from 30 minutes to 15 minutes. Additionally, this route will now run during the day on weekends.
Route 269 map (Metro)Route 556 will updated to provide all-day service between Issaquah and Bellevue. The route will provide local service to stops along Front St and Gilman Blvd in Issaquah before running as an express to Eastgate and Bellevue. In Bellevue, Route 556 will serve the stops currently used by Route 550 on Bellevue Way. Trips will run every 15 minutes during the day, everyday.
Route 556 map (TransitTimes)Night-OwlRoute 547 is a new night-owl route between Seattle and Redmond. Running every 30 minutes between midnight and 4:30am, the route will stop near every 2 Line station in this section except for East Main. Passengers traveling to/from Judkins Park, Wilburton, Spring District, Bel-Red, and Overlake Village will need to walk a short distance from the station to bus stop.
Route 547 map (TransitTimes)