New community shuttle takes Mercer Island riders to downtown Seattle
Published 2:02 pm Tuesday, June 9, 2015
On June 8, the City of Mercer Island and King County Metro launched a new commuter oriented, weekday shuttle service to replace the terminated 202/205 routes.
Mercer Island Mayor Bruce Bassett, King County Councilmember Jane Hague and Metro and City staff celebrated the first runs of the morning with riders.
The new Metro Route 630 is jointly funded by the City of Mercer Island, Metro and the City of Seattle, and will operate five trips to downtown Seattle during the morning rush hour, and five trips back home again in the evening.
There will be four scheduled stops on the Island at Park & Rides only, then multiple stops in downtown Seattle.
- Click for an enlargeable map and full schedule.
The 19-person vehicle is a small Metro shuttle bus, and comes equipped with a wheelchair lift, a two-slot bike rack in front and an ORCA card reader. In addition to scheduled service, flexible service will be offered in the Shorewood neighborhood. Riders can call ahead for a ride off the route – see details on printed schedule.
“Mercer Island transit riders were heavily impacted by the Metro service cuts last year,” Bassett said. “This new route is an exciting first step in rebuilding our local access to transit. We appreciate Metro’s dedication to finding creative solutions and Seattle’s willingness to share costs. I hope all Islanders will take advantage of the route and make it a success.”
“I applaud the efforts of Metro Transit to work with Mercer Island and Seattle,” Hague said. “These kind of partnerships continue the hard work of putting service on the streets and riders on buses despite financial challenges.”
