The red and yellow express that is the RapidRide B line will begin its regular journey from downtown Bellevue to Redmond in two weeks.
In anticipation, Metro Transit will begin testing the new Bus-Rapid Transit that features more frequent service, greater amenities and technological improvements for rider convenience. The buses will operate along the route, without passengers, Thursday and Friday.
The new buses, which will travel every 10 to 15 minutes, will run on a route from the Bellevue Transit Center, down Northeast Eighth Street, head down 156th Avenue Northeast toward the Overlake Transit Center and into Redmond and back beginning Oct. 1.
Riders will be able to better estimate their travel, as each RapidRide station features a real-time reader board for bus arrival times. The system will feature better technology that gives riders a closer estimate when their bus will get to the station, said the line’s implementation lead Paul Roybal.
“It’s tied to our GPS system so the information is in real time, so we know where the bus is in relation to the stop,” he said.
The frequency and speed with which the bus operates requires sacrifices in the number of stops. Several bus stops along Northeast Eighth that were only a few blocks apart have been removed. The average stops will be approximately four-tenths of a mile apart, which is slightly closer than the half-mile increments the system was based on, Roybal said.
Riders with ORCA passes will have the ability to pay before they board, to speed things up, Roybal said. Cash customers will still insert money into fair boxes once on board. Ticket machines for cash customers were considered during the process, but Metro ultimately decided against them.
RapidRide B includes stations on Northeast Eighth Street at 124th, 140th and 156th; it will then head down 156th and stop at Northeast 10th, 15th and 24th before stopping at the Overlake Transit Center. It then heads into Redmond with stations on Old Redmond Road and Northeast 87th Street before turning around at Redmond Transit Center.
In addition to the RapidRide stations with the real-time boards and shelters, the buses will stop at a number of other locations to load and unload riders. It will have stops on Northeast Eighth Street at 116th Avenue Northeast, 134th, 143rd and 148th.
The new bus line is the focal point of a host of service changes on the Eastside. Routes 222, 225, 229, 230, 233, 247, 253, 256, 261, 266, 272, 918 and 926 will be discontinued, and a number of other routes will see changes. The routes of some of other buses throughout the region will be changed as well.
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