Dept. of Transportation
Metro Transit Division

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Seattle, WA 98104
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Creating a Printable Custom Timetable Help Answers


How do I create and print a custom timetable?

From any timetable page within Metro Online, click on the Print Timetable button button.

Complete instructions and diagrams.


Why isn't the list of locations in the order the bus would pass them?

Variations in service, including express vs. local service, cause the timetable locations to appear out of order. You can find suitable locations by trial and error.


There are two identical locations on the list to choose locations to print. How do I know which one to choose?

Pick one and if that doesn't work, go back and pick the other one. Sometimes buses arrive at a location and lay over for five minutes so there is a different leave time. It all depends on the time span you choose for the route to print.


Why is a location listed when there is no nearby stop?

Locations in the timetable are not stops, but time points. In most cases there's a nearby stop as well, but there is no hard-and-fast relationship. You can use the Trip Planner's Find Stops feature to locate actual stops near a timetable location.


What are "related routes"?

Related routes are operated by coaches that change route numbers at specific points along their trips. An example is Route 10 and Route 12. There are about twenty-eight groups of related routes. These routes are said to "through-route" with each other, although not every trip actually through-routes. Sometimes the relationship is one-to-one, as for routes 10 and 12. Sometimes it is more complex, as for routes 15, 18, 21, 22, and 56.

When a route continues under a new route number, the Metro Online timetable will have a "To Route" column as the last column on the right or a letter symbol next to the times, explained below the panels of times. In many cases, the coach changes its sign to the through-route number before it has reached the last location in the current routes timetable.

The Create Custom Printable Timetables function shows you when the route number you chose is in a group of related routes. To get a custom timetable that covers all of the locations you want, you may have to create a custom timetable for one or more of the related routes.


Why do I have to create two timetables for the early morning hours?

Metro's service day can extend from 12:00 AM one day through about 4:00 AM the next day. Bus trips that run after midnight up to about 4:00 AM are considered to be running on the previous day. On the timetables, these trips are shown at the end of the panel of times.

What does this mean to you? To get a complete list of trips after midnight through the next morning, you have to request the timetable twice - once for the trips after midnight on the previous day's schedule, and again for the trips starting out on the next day's schedules.

You also have to carefully select the type of service you request. If you want trips that run after midnight Friday and until 7 AM Saturday, you must pick the late night option for a Weekday and the AM times for Saturday. The same considerations apply from Saturday night to Sunday morning and from Sunday night (or a holiday when Sunday service is operated) and the next weekday morning. It's not possible to get a single custom timetable that includes service from different day types.


There are two routes combined on one time table in Metro Online. How do I print both routes' times?

You will need to choose each route individually to print. For example, routes 3 and 4 are on the same web page. Request the Custom Print from the Route 3 file and then choose Custom Print from the Route 4 file. Note the difference in the URL for each route's file.


Why doesn't my custom timetable show all of the routes that the regular timetable does?

The regular timetable combines similar service for convenience and to reduce printing costs. You must create separate custom timetables for each of the routes you are interested in.


My custom timetable doesn't have times at some of the locations shown on the regular timetable. Why?

The regular timetable has been condensed to save space. You may need to pick an additional location near the one with missing times to see all the possibilities.


There are abbreviations and symbols on the results page that I don't understand. What do all those abbreviations and symbols mean? See definitions below:

-- = no service at this location in this time range
E = Express
$ = Peak trip, peak fare required

 

EB; E/B = Eastbound
WB; W/B = Westbound
NB; N/B = Northbound
SB; S/B = Southbound

IB = Inbound
OB = Outbound
TP = Timepoint

STA = Station
TC = Transit Center
P&R = Park & Ride

Updated: Apr. 25, 2003