News from Metro's General Manager

How well is Metro performing? Read our version of "Consumer Reports"

July 28, 2015

How much did Metro's costs go up last year? Were our buses safe? On time? Our annual Strategic Plan Progress Report, just published, answers questions like these.

Like Consumer Reports, it uses simple symbols to show you—and us—how well we're progressing toward our strategic plan goals.

A few examples:

• Vehicle energy use earned an "improving" indicator. Our buses' energy consumption per boarding declined by 3.6% last year compared to 2013.
• Cost per hour got a "stable" rating. Our cost per hour grew 2.3% in 2014, about the same as inflation (2.2%).
• On-time performance got an "opportunity for improvement" indicator. Facing pressure from traffic congestion and growing ridership, our buses were on time 76.3% of the time, 1.4 percentage points below 2013. This year we're targeting service investments in chronically late bus routes to reverse this decline.

The report covers 61 performance measures like these. They're related to our strategic plan goals concerning safety, human potential, economic growth, environmental sustainability, service excellence, financial stewardship, public engagement and transparency, and workforce quality.

You'll also find peer comparisons that show how Metro stacks up among the nation's 30 largest transit agencies (using 2013 data, the latest available).

I invite you to browse through the report, which you can find in our Accountability Center.

Sincerely,

Kevin Desmond, General Manager
King County Metro Transit