About Transit Now

Background

Transit Now was designed to expand transit service in King County by up to 20 percent over 10 years to help Metro keep pace with regional growth and demand. This expansion includes the addition of:

• About 100,000 annual service hours to create five new RapidRide corridors (2010-2013)
• About 50,000 hours for rapidly developing areas
• About 130,000 hours through service partnerships (90,000 funded by Metro, plus about 40,000 funded by partners)
• About 350,000 hours for Metro’s high-ridership routes and corridors.

Phasing

Metro is following a plan to phase in Transit Now service expansions over this 10-year period (2007-2016), and has been delivering new service on pace with this plan despite the financial pinch created by the rising cost of diesel fuel and lower-than-expected sales tax revenues. The agency remains committed to moving forward. By the end of 2008, Metro will have delivered around 110,000 new service hours—about 18 percent of the 590,000 hours promised in the 10-year Transit Now initiative.

Metro rolled out the first improvements in February 2007, adding new service hours to 10 existing bus routes. Transit Now-funded improvements have been part of each service update since then (Metro adjusts bus service every February, June, and September). Metro added hours to 16 routes in 2007, and 28 more in 2008. These totals include 14 routes whose improvements are being funded through service partnerships (see Service Partnerships for details).

Transit Now’s second year has also seen a restructuring of service on the Eastside that includes two new routes, Route 221 connecting Redmond and Eastgate/Factoria and Route 248 connecting Kirkland and Redmond. Two more new routes began in September 2008: Route 215 on the Eastside and Route 157 in South King County (see New Service for Rapidly Developing Areas for details).

In 2009, Metro will continue its rollout of the service improvements promised in Transit Now, adding 29,000 new service hours and continuing development of RapidRide, the new bus rapid transit service (see RapidRide for more information).

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Why expand Metro service

The county’s need for transit service is growing. Many residents who used to drive have started riding transit because of rising fuel costs. Between 2007 and 2016, the county is expected to add 250,000 new jobs and more than 150,000 new residents. Without increases in transit, this growth would be adding significantly to the traffic congestion we already face.

Making more transit available is also helping King County fight global warming and support livable, healthy communities. Putting many riders into one vehicle uses less fuel than driving separate cars, and Metro’s increasing use of green vehicles (electric trolleys and hybrid buses) and cleaner-burning fuels such as ultra-low-sulfur diesel adds to this environmental advantage. Metro’s wide range of transportation alternatives, including vanpools, carpools, and Access paratransit—and its support of other choices such as shared cars, biking, and walking—make transit a powerful tool to help reduce pollution and support active, healthy lifestyles.

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