First cuts to Metro Transit spread all over Seattle area

(Seattle Times) Fewer rush-hour buses would show up, and some suburban riders would lose night trips, in the first wave of proposed King County Metro Transit budget cuts.

General Manager Kevin Desmond released a proposal Thursday of 30 routes to be scrapped and 12 routes to run less frequently, starting Sept. 27. This would save 166,000 operating hours a year, of which more than half come from reducing peak-time service.

“Routes will be more crowded, and some people will have a harder time getting to routes,” Desmond said.

Cuts are scheduled to occur in four phases through September 2015. The full plan, to reduce service hours by a total of 16 percent, was sent to the County Council on Thursday. The council is expected to vote on the cuts in June, after a series of hearings and weeks of public input. .................(more)

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