In response to COVID-19 and associated budget constraints and reduced ridership, Metro has announced a variety of service changes that take effect on September 19th. Among the changes are the suspensions of Routes 71 and 76. The rationales provided for both the 71 and 76 are as follows:
Route 76 (and 71) service is suspended as part of the temporary reduced service network due to the COVID pandemic and its associated loss of ridership and revenue.
With no certainty over COVID-19 and the planned openings of new Sound Transit Link stations at the University District, Roosevelt, and Northgate in 2021, changes to these routes may just be beginning.
While transit ridership may be reduced on these routes, there’s no doubt that these changes will have significant impacts to members of our community.