Metro Reports Significant Ridership Growth as Cuts Loom

As Metro prepares to cut dozens of routes amid ongoing budget woes, the transit agency reports ridership numbers are up for the third year in a row.

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Attributing the growth to economical improvements, Metro is reporting significant increases in demand throughout the county. So far in 2013, Metro says it's provided a weekday average of 400,000 transit trips—a figure that surpasses any weekday averages since before 2008.

In many suburban areas, increased ridership has translated into crowded park-and-ride lots, the transit agency said in a news release.

Now in their second special session, state legislators have yet to agree on a transportation revenue package, which Metro has said is necessary to help the transit agency bridge a $75-million annual budget gap. If an agreement is not reached, Metro says 65 bus routes—including Route 186 in Enumclaw—would be cut and another 86 would see service reductions.