News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  Dec. 23, 2008

Limited Metro service again for Dec. 24

Holiday adjustments planned for Dec. 25 through Jan. 2
 
Due to still-icy streets in many areas and the possibility of more snow overnight, King County Metro Transit will be operating approximately half of its regular weekday service on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

Please check the Metro Online website and click on the “adverse weather” link before you travel to see if your bus route is operating and if it is on snow routing.

Reduced service is expected to continue through at least the end of the week, since Metro had already planned to operate a Sunday schedule on Christmas Day and a “partial holiday” schedule on Friday, Dec. 26. Schedules for those two days may be adjusted, if the weather and driving conditions don’t improve.

A partial holiday features more bus service than on weekends, but somewhat less than normal weekdays with some route or individual trip cancellations. It is the schedule Metro offered this year on the day after Thanksgiving, and will be used on at least 10 days in 2009. It is denoted by an “H” in both the online and paper timetables.

Because Metro traditionally has low ridership during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, there will be some service adjustments next week as well. If the weather cooperates, most of next week’s service will be on the partial holiday schedule. The exception will be Thursday, Jan. 1, which has a Sunday schedule. Detailed information on service for the week for Dec. 29 will be available late Friday afternoon either online, or by calling Metro’s Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.

Throughout this long stretch of bad weather, Metro took a cautious approach to providing the safest bus service possible by focusing on serving cleared highways and arterial roads, and major transit centers and park-and-ride lots. This approach has so far proved successful in limiting injuries and vehicle damage, and kept the agency from having to shut down all routes.

Also, the number of buses available for peak service has decreased each day over the past week due to difficulties some coach models experience in the deeper snow or in prolonged icy conditions. As the storms hopefully end and we head into next week, Metro Vehicle Maintenance staff needs time to do a thorough safety review of all of the buses that have been on the road during the bad weather.

“I know these past two weeks have not been easy for our customers or our employees. I hope our customers can be patient for the rest of the week, while we work to get our system back to normal,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond.

“I've heard many stories of Metro employees who have gone the extra mile in making sure our passengers get to their destination safely," said Desmond, "and I've heard from many of our customers about their appreciation for the service we’re were able to provide during these extreme weather conditions."

No matter what schedule is in effect, bus passengers should be aware that travel conditions can change quickly. Service may be revised at any time due to weather and road conditions.

Currently, information about bus status is available on the Metro Online’s ice and snow page. You can also call the Metro Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000, but call volumes are high and there may be a wait to talk to a CIO representative. People should closely monitor the latest weather and traffic reports for information about travel conditions.

When snow and ice affect transit operations, passengers should be prepared to board buses at major transit centers, cleared arterials, or at the top or bottom of hills. Please dress warmly, wear appropriate footwear, and be prepared to wait. The buses that are running can be significantly delayed.