Annual Service Plan

In the past, we shared service concepts that proposed new transfers from bus routes to new Link stations. Some of these would have resulted in much longer travel times. These concepts assumed that we would reduce or remove ST Express routes operating in the same travel corridors as light rail.  

During our engagement activities and while participating in King County Metro’s South Link Connections and East Link Connections processes, riders expressed concern about these assumptions. We fielded many questions about the new transfers, effects on travel time, and network resiliency.  

Accounting for this feedback, and with guidance from the Sound Transit Board of Directors, we developed new proposals for the 2026 Service Plan. These proposals would introduce more modest changes to the network. We also acknowledge the need for holistic network planning to ensure long-term network functionality and affordability. 

Sound Transit began engagement on the 2026 Service Plan in April 2025, with a survey about riders’ service priorities. In October and November 2025, we conducted another survey to get feedback on the proposed changes to specific ST Express bus routes.

We considered all 8,000+ survey responses, emails, and comments in eight languages from our spring and fall 2025 engagement when developing the 2026 Service Plan bus service proposals. Click here to see the full ST Express survey findings.

In our October/November 2025 ST Express survey, we heard: 

• Strong support for proposed overnight routes between Everett-Seattle, Lakewood-Seattle, and Redmond-Seattle.

• Support for proposed changes to routes 513, 535, and 550. 

• Mixed reactions for proposed changes to routes 522, 574, and 580. 

• Opposition to proposed changes to routes 515, 554/556, and 586, with the top reasons being travel time and access to destinations.

We encourage our riders to consider the increased service frequencies and estimated travel time changes in our service proposals. Riders currently using rerouted or discontinued routes can utilize new Link connections and new or existing local routes operated by our partners at King County Metro, Pierce Transit, and Community Transit. Overnight service will provide early AM trips to meet rider demand.

Service frequency increases on routes, including 556 and 574, would reduce wait time and facilitate easy connections to new, more frequent, and higher-capacity Link light rail service:

• Route 556 is proposed to operate every 15 minutes during the day and increase evening and weekend service from once an hour to every 15-30 minutes. The proposal also shortens the route to Bellevue Downtown Station.

• Route 574 is proposed to increase service to four trips an hour in both directions, all day, every day. The proposal would also shorten the route to Federal Way Downtown Station.

These proposals would require a transfer to Link light rail for trips to Seattle on the 556 or to SEA airport on the 574. Link service would remain consistent, running every 8-15 minutes from early morning until around midnight, seven days a week.