Month: August 2026

Several comments have raised concerns that the August 29th service change shortened Link’s service day, so that it now ends earlier and starts later. This interacts with the launch of ST Express “Night Ride” routes between midnight and 4am. These theoretically can replace Link trips. But the ST Express routes bypass several high-ridership Seattle Link stations. This can force trips that were on Link in the midnight hour or 11 pm hour or 4 am hour to an ST Express or Metro route, turn a 1-seat ride into a 2-seat ride, and the bus routes are less frequent than Link was.

I wanted to know, did the spans really change on August 29? What is the current situation on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays? What kinds of trips at what hours are newly 2-seat rides? Where is the best place to live to have the earliest or latest Link service? Which can you go to on those lucky runs?

I looked at the new 1 Line and 2 Line schedules to quantify the current situation and changes. To reach these pages from Sound Transit’s website, use the schedule form on the home page to get to the interactive charts. To get a PDF of the schedule, go to the bottom of the page and press the “Full Schedule PDF” button.

I tried to make a consolidated list that would organize the first/last runs in different areas and days. But it was an insanely difficult job, and after a few hours I gave up.

So instead we’re going to crowdsource the issue.

Continue reading “Link Ends Earlier, Starts Later”

Three urbanist lessons from The Netherlands. (Alex Davis, 4 years ago)

Musical interlude: Can’t Stay with You Baby (I’ve gotta to find a car to drive me downtown) (Jimi Tenor). Ghost Town (The Specials, 1981).

This is an open thread.

Several transit agencies have their twice-yearly service change today or this week. South King County and Pierce County have the most extensive changes to coordinate bus service with Federal Way Link. East King County implements the almost-last phase of its East Link bus restructure. North King County and Snohomish County have some route restructures too. Two ST Express night owls start from downtown Seattle: a route 597 south to Lakewood, and a route 547 east to Bellevue and Redmond. A planned route north to Everett is delayed until 2027.

Are you doing a first-day ride today? Or tomorrow or next week? Which route(s) do you want to do first? Is it because they’re so different, or a trip you make regularly?

Thank you to everyone to joined Seattle Transit Trivia on Monday. After a competitive game, top scores are:

1. Henry Horenstein: 19 points
2. Aaron Gu: 17 points
3. Scooby Doo and the Goblin King: 16 points

If you are one of top scorers, please check your email for information about the prizes. This post will share the correct answers for all 39 questions. If you missed the game on Monday but want to test your Seattle transit knowledge, check out the questions from Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3.

Continue reading “Seattle Transit Trivia Answers”

Headlines from the past week.

• Wilson Order Tees Up Sweeping Traffic Safety Changes, Accelerating Projects (The Urbanist)
• No Cars in Pike Place Market > Cars in Pike Place Market (PubliCola)
• Wilson, Rinck Paint Bus Lane to Speed Up Route 8 (The Urbanist)
• Seattle’s Route 8 is notoriously slow. Will Denny Way’s new bus lane help? (KUOW)
• King County’s Metro Flex to launch in Auburn and Federal Way (Metro Matters)
• Op-Ed: Land Value Capture Could Fund Ballard Light Rail (The Urbanist)
• Community Transit honored with two Telly Awards (CT News)
• Intercity Transit has announced a new partnership with Transit, the free mobile app (Intercity Tranist News)
• King County Council Sets Aside Emergency Motion to Restore Route 372 (The Urbanist)
• Ready, set, road trip: WSDOT offers Labor Day weekend travel tools and tips (WSDOT Blog)
• Safer streets are coming to Maple Leaf and Northgate (SDOT Blog)
• Sound Transit Says Train Derailment Was Isolated Incident (The Urbanist)

This is an Open Thread.

Update: Thank you for playing Seattle Transit Trivia! We will share the answers and announce the winners in an article later this week.

Welcome to Round 3 of Seattle Transit Trivia! Answer each question below with a comment on this post. There are still a few questions from Round 1 and Round 2 that have not been answered correctly. Each question below is worth 3 points. Good luck!

1. What is the shortest (by round trip distance) all-day bus route ever operated by King County Metro? (route)
2. In 2025, which Washington State Ferries route carried the most vehicles? (route)
3. Excluding Trailhead Direct, Shuttles, and school routes, which Metro stop serves both directions for the most routes (excluding the first and last stop for each route)? (stop)
   • For example, stop 30453 (VA Medical Center) serves one route in both directions (Route 50). Identify the stop that serves the most routes in both directions.
4. At the end of the Fall 2025 service change, how many bus stops in Seattle served King County Metro’s fixed route buses? (number)
5. Which Link station on the 1 Line or 2 Line has the highest elevation above sea level? (stop)
6. Rank the following transit agencies/services from highest to lowest based on their June 2026 bus ridership: Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, ST Express (order)
7. Long before the 2 Line, a King County Metro route provided service between Seattle and Bellevue via I-90. What route? (route)
8. How many parking spaces are available in park & rides served by at least one Sound Transit route? (number)
9. Rank Kitsap Transit’s ferry routes from highest to lowest in terms of ridership on July 6, 2026: Annapolis Foot Ferry, Bremerton Fast Ferry, Kingston Fast Ferry, Port Orchard Foot Ferry, Southworth Fast Ferry (order)
10. What is the name of the only Link station that has permanently shut down? (stop)
11. How many miles did the first Link LRV need to travel during testing? (number)
12. How many mariners are needed to operate the Wenatchee each day? (number)
13. Which Link station is shown in the picture below? (stop)

Continue reading “Seattle Transit Trivia: Round 3”

Welcome to Round 2 of Seattle Transit Trivia! Answer each question below with a comment on this post. Each question is worth 2 points. Good luck!

1. Which route operated the last scheduled bus trip through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel? (route)
2. How many boardings did Everett Transit record on its free shuttles on July 4, 2026? (number)
3. Rank the following jurisdictions from most to least based on the number of number of bus stops used by King County Metro in Fall 2025: Bothell, Issaquah, Kent, Redmond, Renton, Shoreline (order)
4. Excluding Trailhead Direct, shuttle routes, and school routes, which King County Metro bus routes with at least one stop in Seattle have zero stops within 1000ft of a Link station? (route)
5. The first double decker bus in Puget Sound entered service on August 1, 2007. What route did it first operate? (route)
6. Identify one location (Link station and direction) in Seattle where Link shuttle buses use a stop not shared by any other routes. (stop)
7. List all Metro bus routes that have stops outside of King County. (route)
8. Which Metro route has the most stops per round trip? (route)
9. Which current and former ST Express routes have been operated by all three agencies (PT, KCM, CT)? (route)
10. Rank the following transit services from highest to lowest based on their June 2026 rail ridership: Link 1 Line and 2 Line, Link T Line, Seattle Monorail, Seattle Streetcar, Sounder (order)
11. Excluding Trailhead Direct, shuttle routes, and school routes, how many Metro routes have at least one stop served by trips in both directions (excluding the first/last stop)? (number)
    • For example: Route 50 trips in both directions use the same stop at the VA Medical Center.
12. What is the only jurisdiction to leave Sound Transit district boundary?
13. Which Link station is shown in the picture below? (stop)

Continue reading “Seattle Transit Trivia: Round 2”

Welcome to Round 1 of Seattle Transit Trivia! Answer each question below with a comment on this post. Each question is worth 1 point. Good luck!

1. How many transit agencies support ORCA cards? (number)
2. What was the first bus rapid transit line operated by an ORCA agency? (route)
3. Which bus route(s) operated by an ORCA agency do not connect with any other bus routes from the same agency? (route)
   • Note: ST Express routes are considered Sound Transit routes, not routes from their operating agency.
4. Which Sound Transit route has stops outside the Sound Transit taxing district? (route)
5. List each King County Metro route that is branded as an express service. (route)
6. One King County Metro RapidRide bus has a rear window. Which bus? (vehicle)
7. Which Community Transit Express route does not stop at a Link station? (route)
8. When did the oldest transit vehicle still used on scheduled routes by an ORCA agency enter service? (date)
9. Rank the following transit agencies from highest to lowest based on their June 2026 ferry/water taxi ridership: King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Washington State Ferries. (order)
10. How many ORCA card taps were recorded in 2025? (number)
11. What was the first ferry route operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (or one of its predecessors)? (route)
12. In Fall 2025, how many average daily boardings did the busiest Metro bus stop have across all routes? (number)
13. Which Link station is shown in the picture below? (stop)

Continue reading “Seattle Transit Trivia: Round 1”