Sound Transit is adding 13 bus trips per day for its Snohomish County routes starting Saturday to serve the rising number of bus riders.
Two days later, another Sounder Train round-trip between Everett and Seattle is set to debut as well.
The changes are expected to help the agency keep up with the growing demand for transit services, fueled by high gas prices.
“I think they are moving as quickly as they can, given the revenue they have,” said Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, a member of the House Transportation Committee.
The agency’s bus Route 510 between Everett and Seattle is set to have nine additional trips per day, said Linda Robson, a spokeswoman for Sound Transit. One morning trip per day will be added to Route 511, which runs from Ash Way in Lynnwood to Seattle. Three trips will be added to Route 532 between Everett and Bellevue daily.
Buses on Route 510 and Route 532 are scheduled to make stops at a new park-and-ride station in south Everett. The station with 400 parking spaces is set to open for service Sunday. The $32 million lot, built in the median of I-5, is expected to speed up the time it takes for buses to get on and off the freeway.
Sound Transit officials said they had planned to add more buses and trains before gas prices started skyrocketing this year. But the timing couldn’t be better.
“Clearly, we’ve seen a hike in a lot of routes,” Robson said, adding that Sound Transit recently bought 10 additional buses for its Snohomish County routes.
In July, 84,148 people used the agency’s bus Route 510 between Everett Station and downtown Seattle. That was up 25 percent from 62,788 from the same month a year ago.
Sounder trains also have seen an increase in ridership, with 28,783 people taking the trains between Everett and Seattle in July. That’s up 22 percent from 22,368 in July 2007.
The trains now offer three round trips during weekdays. The fourth trip, set to debut Monday, will leave Everett at 5:45 a.m. and arrive in Seattle at 6:44 a.m. The other three trips will follow afterward on a new schedule so people can more easily make connections with ferries in Mukilteo, Robson said.
In addition to Snohomish County, the agency is increasing its bus and train service in King and Pierce counties.
“What we’ve done essentially is add more choices for commuters,” Robson said.
No one knows whether gas prices will stay high, Sells said. But as long as people are dependent on gas, their lives will continue to be affected by the volatile energy market.
“I think we knew it was coming,” Sells said. “It’s not just a state issue; it’s a national and international one.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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