What We Heard

Creating a Better Bus network begins with feedback from you, our customers, and our community. That's why we're asking for your help and input along the way, to make sure the new network meets the needs of our whole region.

What's Happening Now

Using your input, we've developed a proposed 2025 Better Bus Network, which represents Metro's commitment to improving service and connections using the resources we have today.

Please review and provide feedback on the proposed 2025 Network between May 13 and July 15, 2024. All you need to do is come to one of our exciting Better Bus Discovery Tour events or share your comments online using the Discovery Hub.

The comments you share in person or online will be provided to Metro's Board of Directors and used in the decision-making process.

How We Used Your Input

Metro read every comment that you shared with us about the draft Visionary Network routes in spring 2023. We took that input, along with your feedback about what's important to you about the bus, and combined it with data on travel patterns in the region and how people use our existing service-and used all this information to make adjustments to the Visionary Network.

We then developed the proposed 2025 Network, which we can operate using current resource levels. The proposed 2025 Network delivers a strong first step towards the Visionary Network. It includes the most beneficial new connections, increased frequency, and extended hours of service during the day and on weekends. As resources become available, Metro will continue to advance the Visionary Network through service extensions and more frequent service.

Read the Draft Visionary Network Comment and Response Summary to understand how we responded to the comments we received.

Spring 2023

In spring 2023, you shared your input on the draft Visionary Network, the future bus network the region needs! We asked you to share your thoughts on the proposed changes to bus service and how they might affect you and our entire region. Thousands of you - our customers, community members, advocates, bus operators, employees, and elected officials - told us what you thought through interactive online tools and at one of more than 60 events on board buses, at libraries, in community spaces, and more.

61% of respondents had a positive impression of the draft Visionary Network and think that it will make the bus better
Timing matters! Customers and the community told us that, after peak periods, the midday period was their second highest-priority time of day for frequent bus service
When presented with different types of trips, customers and the community...
- Preferred longer overall trips to avoid transfers (59%), compared to fewer people (41%) who preferred shorter overall trips with transfers
- Were nearly evenly split between preferring to walk further for more-frequent bus routes (49%) and preferring a shorter walk to less-frequent bus routes (51%)
- Preferred a shorter walk to a less-direct/longer bus ride (64%) compared to fewer people (36%) who preferred walking farther for a more-direct/faster bus ride

Learn more about what we heard in our Phase 2 Engagement Summary and Route-Level Comment Summaries

Visitors to our workshops loved meeting our visual notetakers artists who transformed their words into an impactful community mural. Check out this behind-the-scenes look at our visual notetaker team in action!

Fall 2022

In fall 2022, you told us how the bus could work better for you at a variety of in-person events and online through our survey and social media. Here are a few of your comments that stood out to us:

The region's bus service is good, but it could be better. 45% of survey respondents expressed that existing bus service is "very good" or "excellent."
Fast, frequent, and reliable service are top priorities you told us that shorter wait times and buses that arrive on time are most important to your bus experience.
Inequities exist in reported walk distances and wait times customers of color and low-income customers reported in our survey having to walk twice as far and wait three to five minutes longer for the bus compared to white customers.

Check out the full Phase 1 Engagement Summary for more info

Watch to learn some of what we heard from you in Phase 1