Transit ridership patterns in Snohomish County during COVID-19

Across Snohomish County our agency tracks transit ridership in real time, allowing a view into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted transit use. Two weeks into Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Healthy, Stay Home” proclamation, overall ridership on buses had decreased by approximately 70 percent.

Since April 1, ridership levels have remained steady at about 11,000 riders (29% of normal levels) each weekday, 7,500 (60% of normal levels) on Saturdays and 6,000 (67% of normal levels) on Sundays.

However, looking at our ridership levels map which compares February 2020 to April 2020, the decreases in ridership vary widely across our county. According to Roland Behee, Community Transit’s Director of Planning, the changes in ridership correspond to different ridership groups and the types of service available in each area.