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King County Metro shifts Metroflex boundaries to boost ridership in Bothell
Summary
King County Metro told Bothell council it revised two Metroflex pilot service areas — creating a Northshore zone centered on Kenmore Park & Ride and a Wanita/Totem Lake zone — to raise rides per vehicle hour and improve connections; Metro will run the pilots at least one year before re-evaluation.
King County Metro staff briefed the Bothell City Council on May 12 about adjustments to its Metroflex pilot service areas, saying the changes are intended to improve productivity and rider connections.
The presentation described two major boundary changes: a new Northshore service area centered on Kenmore Park & Ride that adds coverage where population and job density are higher, and a smaller Wanita–Totem Lake pilot focusing around Totem Lake Transit Center. "Metroflex augments the fixed route transit network in King County by reaching areas of lower demand with less fixed route transit coverage," Metro planner Meredith Samson said, explaining the on‑demand, app‑based shared rides and the metrics used to judge success.
Why it matters: Metro staff said both original pilot areas were underperforming on ‘‘rides per vehicle hour’’ and cost per ride. Amanda Pleasant Brown, Metro’s government relations lead, described a monthlong rider communications campaign and said Metro will run the changed pilots for at least one year from the April 20 launch before formally evaluating results.
Council members raised operational and equity questions. Council Member Dodd asked whether Metro shares its street‑network guidance with local transportation planners; Meredith Samson replied Metro is coordinating with cities and can share learned best practices. Council Member Kurt and others asked about cross‑county travel; Metro staff said the new Northshore area is fully inside King County and that cross‑jurisdiction handoffs are handled by routing riders to fixed routes where appropriate.
Metro staff also committed to ongoing coordination: regular check‑ins with city staff to review performance data and a communications toolkit to help promote ridership. "We're really hoping that we can get the ridership up and it does well in our performance," Meredith Samson said.
What’s next: Metro will report performance metrics periodically; Bothell staff and council members said they will share citizen feedback and route needs with Metro to refine coverage and connections.
