Now that the measure has passed, it’s important to look at what this means for people traveling by bus to and from Queen Anne and Magnolia. These changes won’t happen overnight, though. It will be June or July 2015 before the new car-tab fee is imposed, and sales tax will increase in April. This means that service increases will come in June and September, with 15-percent increases each time, according to a Seattle Times article. All in all, the new revenue streams will generate $45 million each year for buses.
Buses going to Ballard, Downtown, South Lake Union and West Seattle and overcrowded and unreliable routes will get funding priority. Metro defines “unreliable” as buses frequently more than five minutes late, according to a Crosscut article. But, overall, 60 routes will see better service.
In the rest of King County, Metro expects to maintain existing services for at least two more years. Higher sales-tax revenues have allowed for a high enough budget to stop cuts for the time being.
According to data compiled on Crosscut.com, this is how the new funding will affect routes traveling to your neighborhood:
•Route 1 (North to Kinnear and south to downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding or increase frequency but will improve reliability.
•Route 2 (North to west Queen Anne/Seattle Pacific University and south to downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding but will increase frequency and reliability.
•Route 3 (North to east Queen Anne and south to downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding or increase frequency but will improve reliability.
•Route 4 (North to east and central Queen Anne and south to downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding or increase frequency but will improve reliability.
•Route 13 (North to Seattle Pacific University and south to downtown) has no service changes listed.
•Route 24 (North to central and west Magnolia and south to Downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding but will increase frequency and reliability.
•Routes 31 and 32 (West to Magnolia and east to the University District) service upgrades will not reduce crowding but will increase frequency and reliability.
•Route 33 (North to Magnolia and Discovery Park, south to downtown) service upgrades will not reduce crowding but will increase frequency and reliability.
•Rapid Ride D (North and south through Interbay) will see improvements in crowding, frequency and reliability.
To see the complete list of bus route upgrades, visit ow.ly/EqoP7.
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