Bus service improvements are coming to Auburn.
The upgrades, which launch Sept. 19, are part of King County Metro’s service change that implement the Renton-Kent-Auburn Area Mobility Project.
To help keep riders and bus drivers safe, the rollout includes new safety features, and minimizes driver-to-passenger contact by encouraging the use of ORCA cards when fares are restored, tentatively slated for Oct. 1.
To make using ORCA easier, Metro will offer Auburn residents who don’t already have an ORCA card access to a free one loaded with $25.
When plannning for the area mobility project was in process, Auburn residents asked Metro to:
•Establish a network of service not centralized at the Auburn Transit Station;
•Provide more weekend and late-night service, especially for shift workers in Pacific and at the Muckleshoot Casino;
•Serve key destinations, among them Work Source, Green River College, late-night jobs, shopping areas, YMCA, and the Recreation Center and Senior Center;
•Provide service south of Auburn station, especially to Algona and Pacific;
Part of the project is the new Route 160, which combines the Route 169 pathway and the portion of Route 180 between Auburn Station and Kent Station,into a single, frequent route, generally running every 15 minutes during peak and midday on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on evenings and weekends. The new route connects Renton, Kent, and Auburn. In 2023, Metro will upgrade this route to the Rapid Ride I Line.
The new Route 184 will provide a more reliable, all-day service in south Auburn for local trips and a dependable local connection to Sounder trips at Auburn Station.
The project also combines Routes 915 and 186 to simplify service and offer one all-day route. On weekdays, flexible service in Route 915 areas in Enumclaw and Auburn will be available all day instead of only during the mid-day.
The Route 917 pathway has been shortened to improve travel time, and modified during midday to add direct stops at Outlet Collection in southwest Auburn for improved access to jobs and services. This will increase weekday frequency to every 30-40 minute from 50-70 minutes, extend the span of service a half hour in the evenings, improving access to transit options at Auburn Station, add new Sunday service every 60 minutes to match Saturday service levels, and add a new flexible service: an Algona-Pacific Community Van.
Algona and Pacific residents told Metro they wanted transportation to Work Source, Green River College, shopping areas, YMCA, Recreation Center, and Senior Center, and additional late night/weekend service options. The Algona-Pacific Community Van pilot, which launches late in 2020 in partnership with Puget Sound Energy, will provide group trips using volunteer drivers to connect community members with desired destinations.
Metro’s Community Vans consist of two electric Nissan Leafs, one in Algona and one in Pacific, and an accessible vehicle that can flex between them. Vans can be booked through a Community Transportation Coordinator and are available for pre-planned trips and use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trips must originate within the community but there is no set service area.
