An unexpected hard stop on 6 King County Metro bus routes

King County Metro says six bus routes that serve Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Woodinville, Kirkland, and Shoreline have been put on hold since Monday, June 12, and will continue to be shut down since Friday, June 23. The suspended routes are 16, 232, 237, 301, 304, and 320.

🚨Transit alert: Several peak weekday routes will be suspended June 12-16, and we encourage riders to review the list of transit alternatives available.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
🧍🚏🚍https://t.co/podQd9vypZ

— King County Metro 🚏 🚌🚎⛴🚐 (@KingCountyMetro) June 8, 2023

Spokesperson Al Sanders said they don’t have enough staff, and bus parts aren’t coming in fast enough.

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“We are still having challenges with having the staff to maintain and repair buses, and we’re still having challenges with the supply chain to get the parts we need to repair buses,” Sanders said

The same routes will be suspended through Friday next week.

Sanders said only 1% of riders will be affected by the change, but 1% still ride the bus and will be inconvenienced.

“Yeah, if you’re that 1%, you have a reason to be upset and be angry,” Sanders said. “We appreciate our rider’s patience for this inconvenience. And we encourage them to use the alternatives. We encourage them to sign up for the transit alerts, and we’re doing our best to get those routes back into service.”

He suggests if you don’t follow King County Metro on Twitter, you might want to start- @KingCountyMetro, and you can always type “Text for Departures” by texting your bus stop number to 62550.

From King County Metro:

Route 16

• Along Greenwood Avenue North and/or Phinney Avenue North, use Route 5 to/from downtown Seattle.

Route 232

• Use Route 224 between Duvall and Redmond Transit Center. Parking is available at Duvall Park & Ride.
• Use  RapidRide B Line between Redmond Transit Center, Redmond Technology Station, and Bellevue Transit Center. Parking is available at Redmond Transit Center. 

Route 237

• In Woodinville, use Route 231 to/from Kirkland Transit Center and transfer to/from Route 250 to/from Bellevue, or use Route 311 and ST Express 532 or ST Express Route 535 or Route 342 with a transfer at Northeast 128th Street.
• At Woodinville Park & Ride, use Routes ST Express Route 522 and ST Express Route 535 with a transfer at UW Bothell / Cascadia College to travel to/from Bellevue.
• At Brickyard Park & Ride, use ST Express Route 535 to/from Bellevue. Parking is available at Brickyard Park & Ride.
• At Northeast 128th Street, use ST Express Route 532 or ST Express Route 535. Parking is available at Kingsgate Park & Ride.

Route 301

• Between Shoreline and Northgate, use Routes 346 or 348.
• Parking is available at Aurora Village Transit Center and Shoreline Park & Ride.

Route 304

• Between Shoreline and Northgate, use Routes 331, 345 or 348. Parking is available at Shoreline Park & Ride.

Route 320

• Between Lake City and Northgate, use Route 20.
• Between Kenmore, Bothell, Lake Forest Park, and Lake City, use Route 372 or ST Express Route 522.
• Between Northgate and South Lake Union, use Link to connect with Route 8 at Capitol Hill Station, or with Route 70 at U District Station, or with the RapidRide C Line, South Lake Union Streetcar, or routes 40, 62, or 70 at Westlake Station. Parking is available at Northgate Station.

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