First bus cuts released in wake of Prop. 1 failure



SEATTLE -- King County Metro Transit released a proposed list of transit cuts Friday in the wake of the failed Proposition 1.

The list of proposed cuts equates to 550,000 lost service hours, or about 16 percent of current service over a long span, officials said Friday. Metro Transit tried to fend off cuts for a long time, but as Prop. 1 failed to increase sales tax and vehicle licensing fees, cuts are now a necessity, officials said.

"Without new funding, we have no choice but to cut service levels to balance our budget," King County Metro said in a release.

The cuts will permanently delete 72 routes, change 84 routes- mostly cutting rush hour service, and leave 58 routes unchanged. According to the Seattle Times, at least 30 routes would be cut and 12 would run less frequently starting  Sept. 27. Here is the list of discontinued and cut routes starting in September:

Discontinued routes: 7 Express, 19, 47, 48 Express, 61, 62, 82, 83, 84, 139, 152, 161, 173, 202, 203, 205 Express, 209, 210, 211 Express, 213, 215, 243, 250, 260, 265, 280, 306 Express, 919, 927, 935

Reductions: Trips discontinued middays and after 7 p.m. weekdays, and discontinued all weekends, for Routes 27 and 30; trips discontinued after 7 p.m. for Routes 236, 238, 331, 909; discontinued after 6 p.m. for Route 249; midday trips reduced or eliminated for Routes 204, 208, 903, 931; peak trips eliminated on Route 200.

For more information on planned metro cuts, click here.