The King County Council on Monday (March 27) unanimously approved adding service hours to overcrowded Metro Transit routes in Burien, SeaTac, Renton, and Kent, as well as increasing nightly service on certain bus routes.

The plan specifically calls for over an additional 27,000 hours of investment to routes that service south King County.

“South King County residents need more dependable bus service,” said Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, whose district includes, Burien and SeaTac. “Metro’s proposed service changes are a good step in the right direction towards more frequent and reliable service to our communities.”

The plan would add 3,900 hours to operate service every 15 minutes during peak weekday mornings on Route 131, between Seattle and Burien. Metro’s plan would also add more than 9,200 service hours to a revised Route 124, increasing overnight access to SeaTac airport to every 30 minutes between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Instead of stopping at the light rail station, Route 124 will continue on all the way to the airport terminal providing passengers with a safer and more seamless commute.

In addition, the proposal would add 14,300 hours of service on Route 169 between Kent and Renton, increasing service from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes during the morning and evening commutes. The new investments in Route 169 equate to more than a 25 percent increase in annual service hours on that route alone.

The proposed changes are set to take effect in September of 2017.