Summary

Beginning Sept. 28 Snoqualmie Valley residents can take advantage of a new shuttle service and more tranist choices.

Story

Partnership will bring new shuttle service to Snoqualmie Valley cities

Beginning Sept. 28 Snoqualmie Valley residents will have more reasons to get on-board with transit!

As part of its fall service change Metro has revamped valley bus service and partnered with the Snoqualmie Tribe and Snoqualmie Valley Transportation (SVT) to launch a new shuttle service that will bring more travel choices to the area.

“When you ride the new Snoqualmie Valley shuttle, you’ll quickly discover added convenience and flexibility – two more reasons to use transit thanks to this innovative community partnership”, said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

About the Valley Shuttle:
The Valley Shuttle, operated by SVT, kicks off Sept. 30 and will serve the communities of Duvall, Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie and North Bend. The shuttle will run every 90 minutes weekdays between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and will offer variable routing in Duvall and North Bend. That means the shuttle will be able to deviate from its regular route to pick up and drop off passengers.  The service will:
• Be open to the general public
• Operate on a regular schedule with variable scheduling in Duvall and North Bend
• Have a suggested donation on intra-valley trips

About the NEW Route 208 and revised Route 215
The new Route 208 will provide all-day service to the rapidly growing Snoqualmie Ridge area and hourly service between North Bend and Issaquah on weekdays and Saturdays beginning Sept. 28. Route 215 will be revised to bypass downtown Issaquah. This service will better meet the needs of riders traveling within the Snoqualmie Valley itself and will offer improved connections to downtown Seattle.

Route 209 revisions
Route 209 will continue to operate three morning and afternoon trips to serve commuters but will no longer run on Saturdays. During the midday on weekdays, riders can take advantage of the new Route 208 service, the Valley Shuttle or existing on-demand service provided by SVT. Route 209 will run in the opposite direction from Route 208 during peak commute hours.

Connections in Duvall
The Route 224 serving Duvall and Redmond Ridge riders will also offer expanded trips and timed connections between the Valley Shuttle in Duvall and the Redmond Transit Center. Route 311 will be shortened to serve the Woodinville Park-and-Ride only. Riders traveling to downtown Seattle can use Routes 224 and 232 to connect to Sound Transit Route 545 at the Redmond Transit Center.

These service enhancements are part of a broader effort by Metro to partner with communities to identify more cost-effective alternatives to fixed route service in rural King County.

“This first demonstration project shows how creative partnerships and out-of-the-box thinking can actually produce better transit service for more people at a lower cost,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond.

Looking to the future, alternative services will be an increasingly important strategy in shaping transit service in areas where fixed-route bus routes would otherwise be candidates for reduction or elimination due to funding reductions. Longer term, Metro could propose alternative transit services to complement existing bus service if additional revenues became available.

Throughout the five-year demonstration period, Metro will monitor ridership, cost and rider satisfaction with the Snoqualmie Valley intra-valley shuttle.

To learn more about the upcoming Snoqualmie Valley service improvements, visit: metro.kingcounty.gov/have-a-say/