Metro Launching All-Door Bus Boarding as Part of Spring Service Change

King County Metro is officially allowing all-door boarding on buses systemwide starting Saturday, March 28. The agency is pitching the change as making the bus system faster and easier use, helping prepare the region for a busy summer of large events, including the FIFA World Cup.

The new boarding policy will take place on the same day as Metro's spring bus service change and Sound Transit's big crosslake 2 Line launch – a monumental day for the region's light rail system. Metro's service change adds earlier morning trips, later evening service, and more weekend options for riders, and it strengthens connections to Sound Transit’s Link light rail system, including the recent 1 Line extension to Federal Way and the new 2 Line extension between Seattle and the Eastside.

Up until March 28, riders have been technically required to board only at the front door of the bus, which slows the boarding process, especially at busy stops. However, rider behavior had already begun to change, as The Urbanist noted, due to Metro already having installed ORCA transit card readers on back doors on most buses, allowing riders to tap on at any door. Plus, Metro already had exceptions to its rule.

Third Avenue bus stops in Downtown Seattle had been an explicit exception from that official rule, with Metro rolling out all-door boarding there in 2019. Additionally, buses on Metro's enhanced RapidRide bus lines were already set up for all-door boarding and off-board fare payment at stops.

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All-door boarding will now become a systemwide norm, speeding up service right as the agency adds some significant frequency boosts, particularly in South King.

Metro is holding off on making major adjustments to King County's bus network, to take advantage of new light rail stations on the Eastside and in Kent and Federal Way, until after this summer's FIFA Men's World Cup. The first phase of those changes will happen in August, with a South King County bus restructure that will bring huge gains in frequencies, particularly evenings and weekends. Weekend service will jump 72%, and weekday service levels will grow by 51%, with many of the added trips allowing existing routes to run later into the evening.

But in the meantime, Metro is tweaking routes to better serve light rail stations now, and adding additional trips on the margins.

In a statement, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay celebrated this month's changes as a step toward welcoming fans for World Cup festivities.

“Metro is strengthening the transit network that connects people across our region to jobs, school, and opportunity,” Zahilay said. “Starting this month, we're increasing bus service with earlier morning trips, later evening service, and more weekend options, with improvements phasing in across south King County and the Eastside. By investing in the system people rely on every day, we’ll also be ready to meet the moment when we welcome the world to our region this summer. For FIFA World Cup!”

Lake Washington, the I-90 floating bridge, and Bellevue skyline is right over their shoulders as Sound Transit leaders make their announcement at I-90 Portal Park in Seattle. — King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, flanked by Sound Transit Board Chair Dave Somers, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, prepares to announce the opening day of the crosslake 2 Line. (Doug Trumm)

Metro recently added new fare media types. "As part of these upgrades, buses across the fleet are equipped with ORCA card readers at every door, allowing riders to tap and pay using ORCA cards, mobile wallets, and credit or debit cards," the agency noted. "The readers were installed across the Metro fleet with $5 million in investment from Amazon."

Amazon acknowledged that transit was key to keeping Greater Seattle moving, alleviating congestion bottlenecks across the region.

"We know a thriving community runs on a transit system that works for everyone," said Sean Lee, Amazon's vice president of global real estate and facilities, in a statement. "Tens of thousands of Amazonians tap their ORCA cards every month, and we’re proud to invest in the infrastructure that reduces congestion and keeps our neighbors, employees, and community moving."

Metro adjusts bus schedules twice per year – each March and August "to respond to ridership demand, traffic conditions, and the region’s expanding transit network," an agency spokesperson said, adding March service change details are available online in five languages:

Bus improvements to feed 2 Line

Beyond the South King County bus restructure, Metro will make additional service changes to strengthen bus connections to 2 Line stations as crosslake service launches between the Eastside and Seattle, starting March 28. Metro shared the following tweaks to improve 2 Line access:

Route 8 will provide a direct connection to the new Judkins Park Station by shifting its path from Martin Luther King Jr. Way South to 23rd Avenue South between East Yesler Way and South Massachusetts Street.

Route 8 is a workhorse bus route often stuck in peak hour congestion, but Mayor Katie Wilson has pledged to fix this. (Doug Trumm)

Route 223 will operate every 20 minutes during midday service, connecting riders to Downtown Redmond and Overlake stations, Lake Hills, Bellevue College, and Eastgate Park and Ride.
Route 224 will revise its pathway serving Downtown Redmond Station to better serve the growing employment center at Redmond Ridge Corporate Center.
Route 225 will begin serving Overlake Station instead of Redmond Technology Station and will double frequency to every 30 minutes. The new path will provide stops on 148th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 36th Street adjacent to the Microsoft campus.
Route 240 will add 20 weekday trips and operate every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., connecting riders with 2 Line stations at South Bellevue, East Main, and Bellevue Downtown, along with Factoria and other destinations south to Renton.
Route 250 will increase weekday frequency to every 15 minutes between Avondale Road, Bear Creek Park and Ride, and Downtown Redmond Station.

Better 1 Line connections in South King

Route 156 (Southcenter, SeaTac, Des Moines, Highline College) will be extended to Kent Des Moines Station.
Route 183 (Federal Way, Camelot, Star Lake Kent) will be routed into the Star Lake Station for a more direct connection.

Earlier and later bus service

Route 156 (Southcenter, SeaTac, Des Moines, Highline College) and Route 183 (Federal Way, Camelot, Star Lake Kent) will start weekday service earlier.
Route 181 (Twin Lakes, Federal Way, Auburn, Green River College), Route 182 (Tacoma, Federal Way), and Route 187 (Twin Lakes, Federal Way) will start weekend service earlier and extend service later.
Route 182 (Tacoma, Federal Way) and Route 903 (Twin Lakes, Federal Way) will start weekday service earlier and extend later at night.
Route 183 (Federal Way, Camelot, Star Lake Kent) will extend weekend service later.

The fall service change will bring a larger boost and overhaul to South King bus service, and Metro may provide further augmentations to serve light rail stations down the road. While light rail ridership has been growing steadily, Metro's service and ridership levels are still well below 2019 levels, after the pandemic took a big bite out of its ridership base and shrank its workforce.