Metro Bus Service In Jeapordy Of Being Cut From Laurelhurst



Metro Bus Route 25 serving Laurelhurst,  may be cut completely from servicing the neighborhood due to Metro budget shortfalls.  The route was recently reduced from every 30 minutes to once per hour. If it is completely cut, the nearest bus stop could be up to a 30 minute walk for some neighbors. 

Metro held a hearing yesterday and is also seeking input to hear how residents might be affected by service reductions and hear ideas for alternatives.on the potential cuts of Bus Route 25, and about 86 other routes that might be reduced or changed.

Metro's website says:

Metro faces a $75 million annual shortfall and will have to cut service by up to 600,000 hours, or 17 percent, beginning in fall 2014, when no more reserve funds are available, unless new funding is approved. If not, Metro will have to reduce service to close the budget gap.becomes available. Roughly two-thirds of Metro bus routes might be eliminated, reduced or revised.

Here are comments one Laurelhurst resident submitted:

The 25 route (Laurelhurst-Downtown) should be retained. This route was running every 30 minutes in the recent past and has now been reduced to once per hour.

It is the only bus serving the Laurelhurst neighborhood and is important to many residents, who will be left far from the nearest bus stop if the 25 is deleted (up to 30 minutes of brisk walking - impractical for seniors or disabled).

It is true that ridership is fairly low in off-peak hours, but the principle of providing at least minimal service to a neighborhood should override this. This is something of a vicious circle: one reason for the lower ridership is the infrequent service.

 

Here is more information on the budget, what the reduction and deletion of routes will mean, and a list of potentially affected routes in Seattle.

 

Submit your comments here, email community.relations@seattle.gov or call 206-263-9770.