Introduction Metro uses the Service Guidelines to evaluate, design, and modify transit services to meet changing needs and deliver efficient, high-quality service. The updated guidelines reflect key elements of the King County Strategic Plan, Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan, and Strategic Climate Action Plan. These plans envision a community that gives all people equitable opportunities to thrive, that confronts climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and that engages priority populations in achieving climate justice and mobility for all. For Metro, that means building a regional, innovative, and integrated mobility network that is safe, equitable, and sustainable. This system will contribute to healthy communities, a thriving economy, and a sustainable environment. Priority populations are people who are Black, Indigenous, or of color; have low or no income; are immigrants or refugees; have disabilities; or are linguistically diverse.
The guidelines help make sure that decision-making and recommendations to policy makers are objective, transparent, and aligned with King County’s goals for public transportation. The guidelines align with Metro’s mission, vision, and goals, as outlined in its Strategic Plan, and help Metro grow toward the networks in Metro Connects, its long-range plan. 1 Many terms used in this document are defined in Technical Report A: Glossary, separate from the Service Guidelines. The Service Guidelines establish criteria and processes that Metro uses to analyze and plan changes to the transit system. The guidelines are divided into these three sections:
Evaluating Existing Services This section describes how Metro will evaluate and report on the performance of bus and DART 2 routes. For flexible services and water taxi, see Planning Flexible Services and Planning Marine Services in the Planning and Developing Service section.
Adding, Reducing, and Restructuring Service This section sets targets for system growth by assessing the market potential of existing and planned routes in Metro’s bus network using factors of land use, equity, and geographic value. 1
See details in Metro’s Strategic Plan for Public Transportation 2021-2031.
DART, or Dial-a-Ride Transit, routes provide fixed-route service and have the ability to deviate from their fixed routing in lower-density areas. 2
King County Metro
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