New and revised King County Metro bus routes are designed to provide better service to Kent residents starting Saturday, Sept. 19.

Residents told Metro when staff was working on the Renton, Kent and Auburn Area Mobility Project coming in 2023 that they would like to see increased frequency, later and earlier service on weekends and new connections to jobs, regional transit and community assets.

With that in mind, Metro will implement the following changes in Kent:

Improve east-west connections

• New Route 160 combines the Route 169 pathway and the portion of Route 180 between Auburn Station and Kent Station into a single, frequent route (every 15 minutes during peak and midday on weekdays) that connects Renton, Kent and Auburn. In 2023, this route will be upgraded to the Rapid Ride I Line.

• New Route 162 is a commuter route that will begin at Lake Meridian Park & Ride and serve Kent Station and Kent/Des Moines Park & Ride before continuing to downtown Seattle. This route will replace service on Route 158 and 159.

• New Route 161 will replace the northern portion of Route 180 between Kent Station, SeaTac, and Burien. The route pathway has been changed to provide better east-west connections and all-day access to the Kent Industrial Valley via South 212th Street. Route 161 will also be through-routed with Route 168 for a new direct connection between Burien, SeaTac, Kent, Covington and Maple Valley.

• The new Route 165 combines Route 164 and 166 to create a new direct connection between Burien, Des Moines, Kent, and Green River College in Auburn and will provide new Sunday service between Kent and Lea Hill and increased weekday night and Saturday frequency.

• Restructure of Routes 914 and 916 into a single route with 30-minute frequency. This consolidation maintains the Shopper Shuttle in Central Kent and simplifies the pathways on the East Hill. This change will remove duplication, make the routing easier to understand, and provide faster travel times.

• Revised Route 168 pathway to serve Southeast Kent-Kangley Road. This change will result in more direct trips between Maple Valley, Covington and Kent. This route will receive more frequent weekday evening, Saturday, and Sunday service and service will run later. Route 168 will also be through-routed with the new Route 161 for a new, direct connection between Burien, SeaTac, Kent, Covington and Maple Valley.

Other changes

To help keep riders and bus operators safe, Metro is rolling out several new safety features, and minimizing operator-to-passenger contact through encouraging use of ORCA cards when fares are restored (currently targeting Oct. 1). To make using ORCA easier, Metro is offering residents of Kent who don’t already have an ORCA card access to a free ORCA card loaded with $25. Learn more about the offer online at http://justonetrip.org/GetReady/.