News from Metro's General Manager

It's in the numbers — just-released data show how Metro is doing

July 3, 2014

We just released a report full of data about how Metro measures up to the public’s expectations. Is our service reliable? Are customers satisfied? How do our costs compare with other agencies?

Our annual Strategic Plan Progress Report answers those questions and more. It provides data on 61 performance measures, with symbols indicating progress toward our Strategic Plan goals. It includes opinions expressed by riders and non-riders, drawn from a survey of 2,500 King County residents. It also looks at how we stack up with peer transit agencies across the country.

The report tells the public how we’re doing, and shows us where we can get better. Continuous improvement is an important value at Metro. We’ll be taking action based on the report findings as well as an upcoming audit and independent peer review.

Some report highlights:

• Ridership continues to grow: We delivered 118.6 million passenger trips in 2013 — a near record. An all-time-high 45% of King County households now have at least one Metro rider.
• 85% of riders say they’re very or somewhat satisfied with Metro service. 90% of our riders say Metro is an agency they trust.
• Metro gets people to jobs: Almost all (97%) of Metro’s regular bus trips serve the region’s job and growth centers.
• Our buses were on time nearly 78% of the time. We continually monitor on-time performance so we can make adjustments to keep buses on schedule.
• Metro has significantly improved safety and security over the past 10 years and is holding on to those gains. Preventable accidents have steadily declined since 2011, and we've enhanced emergency response.
• Metro’s cost per hour grew 2.7% — above the inflation rate — but cost per passenger mile decreased by 3.1% as the job market improved and Metro buses carried more commuters.
• Fares covered 29.1% of Metro’s operating costs. Our farebox recovery rate increased by 8.8 percentage points in the past 10 years — more than most of our national peers.
• Energy use per bus boarding decreased 4.6% last year.

I invite you to take a look at the full report — and other data and information about Metro — in our Accountability Center.

Sincerely,

Kevin Desmond, General Manager
King County Metro Transit