Summary

Metro is reaching out to riders to learn more about how they use late night service, especially trips that run between midnight and 5 a.m.

Story

As our region grows and changes, our need to get around 24 hours a day is also growing.

While there are up to 40 late-night routes that help riders throughout King County get to and from jobs and entertainment, it’s been many years since Metro Transit took a wide-ranging look at how well the late-night service is working. That’s why Metro is now reaching out to riders to learn more about how they use late night service, especially trips that run between midnight and 5 a.m.

Metro knows late-night bus service is essential in serving people who work night-shifts, go to the airport or take in the nightlife. But this service has not undergone significant change for many years. So Metro is now reaching out to riders to identify how well the system is working or not working for them.

During this round of outreach, Metro is inviting riders who use the bus late at night to take our survey. Customers will be asked about their travel habits, how they are using the service and whether they experience barriers to using late-night service. Riders who don’t take the bus at night might have thoughts about other types of late-night bus service that could meet their needs.

Metro will also partner with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to reach out to key stakeholder groups, human service agencies and others to better understand employment patterns and the needs of underserved groups, in addition to talking directly with riders who use the bus during the nighttime hours. Metro will accept feedback via its survey through May 4.

When the outreach is complete, Metro and SDOT will review the customer feedback and determine next steps. Possible outcomes would range from adjusting hours of service to making changes to routing.

For more information about late-night transit service and to view maps of Metro’s current late-night service network, visit Metro Online.