Policies
At King County Metro, we believe mobility is a human right.
Metro’s policies—our Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, Service Guidelines, and Metro Connects (long-range plan)—will help us contribute to healthy communities, a thriving economy, and a sustainable environment, ultimately leading to the achievement of our Long Game goals.
Working together, these policies help our Metro teams plan for today, tomorrow, and beyond. Metro policies are co-created with input from community partners, elected officials, and other stakeholders countywide. Each reflects key elements of King County’s comprehensive policies, such as the King County Strategic Plan for Equity and Social Justice and the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.
Policies and initiatives
Metro's Long Game
Metro’s Long Game is our blueprint to improving transit by focusing on equity, safety and sustainability
ADA policy
To ensure equality and fairness, we will make reasonable modifications to our policies, practices and procedures to avoid discrimination and ensure programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Fare policy
Working to make transit fares equitable, easy to use, and simple for Metro and our partners to administer.
Title VI compliance
Metro operates its programs without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age or disability in accordance with applicable law.
Code of conduct
Treat others as you would like to be treated and show respect for your fellow passengers and the transit vehicles and facilities you use.
SaFE Reform Initiative
Our long-term vision of safe, accessible, and equitable transit and a set of strategies to achieve that vision.
What our policies support
Strategic plan
Metro’s Strategic Plan addresses opportunities and challenges facing King County residents, such as a growing, diversified population, historic inequities, and a worsening climate crisis. Our plan articulates Metro’s mission and vision, establishes 10 goals, objectives and strategies to achieve them, and includes performance measures to track our progress.
Our actions and more resources
Metro will work to implement our strategies to achieve the 10 key policy goals and track our progress through the web-based Strategic Plan dashboard.
Service guidelines
Metro uses the Service Guidelines to evaluate, design, and modify transit services to meet changing needs and deliver efficient, high-quality service.
These guidelines help ensure our decision-making and recommendations to policy makers are objective, transparent, and aligned with King County’s overall goals for public transportation.
Our actions and more resources
Metro uses the Service Guidelines to continuously review and develop changes to the transit system. Performance information and investment priorities are published in an annual System Evaluation Report that is transmitted to the King County Council and made available to the public. Metro uses the results of this evaluation, as well as guidelines concerning service design and flexible services, to develop service change proposals. This is one step in a planning process that starts with the adoption of Metro’s budget and results in changes to transit service.
Metro Connects
Metro Connects is our vision for bringing more improved mobility services to King County over the next 30 years. The goal is additional, frequent, reliable, and fast service—all day, every day—through an innovative regional and integrated mobility network.
The service growth and capital improvements in Metro Connects will support healthy and equitable communities, a thriving economy, and a sustainable environment.
Our actions and more resources
Metro Connects includes a financially unconstrained vision, reflecting the imagination and input of many parties and partners. Delivering 70 percent more service by 2050 is ambitious. Metro will work to achieve the vision in Metro Connects through a cycle of growing our network and connecting people to mobility services, measuring progress, demonstrating value, securing additional funding, and continuing to expand.
Metro will work with elected leaders, regional partners, and communities to implement the service and capital changes.
Comprehensive planning resources
Periodic updates of comprehensive plans are an opportunity for cities and Metro to ensure our plans and policies are aligned, and work to achieve our common policy goals. These resources are intended to support Metro and city partners coordinated planning.
- Transit Supportive Comprehensive Plan Checklist
Provides guidance, examples, and links to integrate transit considerations into planning. - Metro Comprehensive Planning Alignment Webinar Recording
Metro technical staff speak to land use, housing, and transportation policies, partnerships, and funding opportunities.
Passcode: Xa+dv0G^ - Metro Grant Funding Resources
- Metro Regional Project Schedule