Ridership Patterns for RapidRide H Line

King County Metro's RapidRide H Line travels inbound from Burien to downtown Seattle, via White Center and Delridge. Outbound trips travel in the reverse direction. The H Line launched in March 2023, replacing Route 120. In October 2024, the H Line had 8,636 average weekday boardings.

H 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 H Line Trip: March 2023 to March 2024. Inbound" is toward downtown Seattle; Outbound" is toward Burien Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.

The overall ridership patterns for the H Line show a route that is busy throughout the day and night serving both local and commute trips. Some observations:

• The H Line has incredibly strong ridership at it's southern terminus, Burien Transit Center. Burien Transit Center is a Park & Ride facility with 488 parking spaces and serves King County Metro routes 131, 132, 161, 165, 631, F Line, and Sound Transit Route 560. The transit center is located 2 blocks from downtown Burien and is near several mid-rise apartment buildings.
• The stops along Ambaum Blvd primarily serve low and medium density commercial and residential areas. The increased ridership at Ambaum Blvd & 136th St is likely due to the nearby Alcove at Seahurst Apartment Homes development. Similarly, the stop at Ambaum Blvd & 128th St is near a few mid-rise apartment buildings.
• Most King County Metro routes see a declining number of passengers on outbound morning trips towards the end of the route. However, outbound morning H Line trips have higher ridership as they approach Burien than anywhere else on the trip. This suggests some reverse commuting to Burien or to the many south King County destinations served by routes at Burien Transit Center.
• In downtown White Center (15th Ave & Roxbury St), both inbound and outbound trips have decent ridership churn throughout the day. These stops are busiest in the midday, afternoon, and evening, suggesting they are used primarily by visitors to access the shops and restaurants in White Center. The lower morning boarding counts in both directions suggest only a few residents of the adjacent low density residential neighborhood use them as well. These stops also provide transfers to routes 60, 113, and 128.
• Instead of taking Delridge Way north from White Center, the H Line detours west to stop at Westwood Village (26th Ave & Barton St (Inbound)\ Barton St & 25th Ave (Outbound)). In addition to serving the mall, this stop allows quick transfers to Metro routes 21, 22, 60, 125, C Line, and Sound Transit Route 560. The ridership pattern at this stop is similar to the stop in downtown White Center with the highest ridership churn in the midday, afternoon, and evening.
• North of Westwood Village, the H Line travels along Delridge Way until the West Seattle Bridge. Stops in this segment have fairly low ridership at most times of the day. Ridership spikes for inbound morning and outbound afternoon trips, likely serving 9-5 commuters. With a few exceptions (mentioned below), the land adjacent to Delridge Way along this segment primarily consists of low and medium density housing.
• The stop at Delridge Way & Findlay St has higher all day ridership than its adjacent stops. This is likely due to the apartment buildings, shops, and restaurants clustered at this intersection.
• The stops at Genesee St and Andover St provide transfers to routes 50 and 125. The Andover St stop also serves a small commercial area.
• On the north side of the West Seattle Bridge, the H Line stops in Pioneer Square at Alaskan Way & Jackson St. Inbound trips primarily drop off passengers here while outbound trips pick up passengers. This stop is used throughout the day, but is busiest in the afternoon for trips in both directions.
• At the Alaskan Way & Columbian Way stop, the H Line provides a transfer to the Seattle Ferry Terminal. The inbound morning boarding spike and corresponding outbound afternoon alighting spike is likely from passengers transferring to or from a ferry.
• Like most other routes that run on 3rd Ave, H Line trips either drop off (inbound) or pick up (outbound) quite a few riders along the corridor. Unlike most other routes, the stop at 3rd & Pine St (inbound) / Pike St (outbound) is not the busiest downtown stop on the route.

Daily Totals per Stop

The average daily total boarding and alighting counts show a similar pattern to the per trip data. The overall ridership pattern is similar to the pattern for the E Line. Both routes have an outbound terminus with many transit connections, strong local ridership along some segments of the route, and high commuter ridership. While the E line intersects with an east-west route every 10-20 blocks, almost all of the H Line's connections are clustered in either Burien, White Center, or Westwood Village.

Average H Line Weekday Boarding and Alighting Counts: March 2023 to March 2024. Inbound" is toward downtown Seattle, Outbound" is toward Burien Transit Center. Click the plot to view at full-resolution in a new tab.West Seattle Link Extension

The West Seattle Link Extension (WSLE) is currently in development and will replace some of the H Line's route. Once it starts service in 2032, it will travel between Alaska Junction and an expanded SODO Station. Additional stations are planned along Avalon Way and in North Delridge. At a West Seattle Transit Town Hall in July 2024, King County Transportation Policy Advisor Chris Arkills confirmed West Seattle bus routes will not be restructured until the Ballard Link Extension is complete in 2039. While the exact restructuring plans are far from finalized, the King County Metro Long-Range Plan (Figure 14) shows a Rapid Ride route that follows the current H Line route from Burien to North Delridge, then turns west to travel to North Admiral and Alki.

Looking Ahead

The H Line launched in March 2023 following the completion of the Seattle Department of Transportation's Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridor Program for Delridge Way. This project added bus lanes, center medians, and various other safety focused improvements to Delridge Way. Given the recent overhaul of the corridor, no significant projects are planned at this time.