Metro Transit will begin three months of meetings across King County to inform riders of proposed drastic bus cuts due to the absence of funding. One of the meetings will be in Bellevue from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E.

Metro is facing proposed cancellation of 74 bus routes and revisions to 107 other routes unless a stable funding authority is granted by the state Legislature. Without the funding, Metro would have to reduce costs in 2014 and in 2015 as temporary funding expires and reserves are exhausted.

The proposed cuts could mean a loss of 14 million rides annually, and would revert Metro’s service to levels not seen since 1997 – even as ridership nears all-time highs. Metro provides about 400,000 rides each day and is nearing the annual record of 119 million riders reached in 2008.

Other Metro meetings are scheduled at:

· Federal Way: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6-8 p.m., Federal Way Community Center, 876 South 333rd St.

· West Seattle: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6-8 p.m., Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way S.W.

· North Seattle: Thursday, Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m., North Seattle Community College, 9600 College Way N.

· Downtown Seattle: Tuesday, Dec. 10, noon to 2 p.m., Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St.

· Kent: Monday, Dec. 16, 6-8 p.m., Kent Commons, 525 Fourth Ave. N.

· Kirkland: Thursday, Jan. 16, 6-8 p.m., Peter Kirk Community Center, 12421 103rd Ave. N.E.

· Southeast Seattle: Thursday, Jan. 23, 6-8 p.m., South Shore K-8, 4800 South Henderson St.

· North King County: Monday, Jan. 27, 6-8 p.m., Lake Forest Park City Hall, 17425 Ballinger Way N.E.

Metro faces an annual funding shortfall of $75 million needed for 600,000 hours of service and bus purchases. Another 150 daily bus trips between West Seattle and downtown Seattle – buses that ease construction congestion during the Alaskan Way Viaduct project – also are at risk of being canceled in June when state funding ends.

The King County Council is expected next spring to consider the proposed service cuts.

With new funding, 74 of Metro’s 214 routes would be deleted: 4, 5EX, 7EX, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 37, 47, 48EX, 57, 61, 62, 66EX, 67, 68, 72, 82, 83, 84, 99, 110, 113, 139, 152, 154, 158, 159, 161, 167, 173, 178, 179, 190, 192, 200, 201, 202, 203, 205EX, 209, 210, 211EX, 213, 215, 217, 237, 238, 242, 243, 244EX, 250, 260, 265, 277, 280, 304, 306EX, and 308; and DART routes 901, 908, 909, 910, 913, 916, 919, 927, 930, and 935.

In addition, 107 routes would be reduced or revised. Examples of changes are fewer trips, service ending earlier at night, deletion of the tail-end of a route, and combination of routes. Routes affected include C Line, D Line, 1, 2, 3*, 5, 7, 8, 9EX, 11, 12, 13*, 14, 16*, 17EX, 18EX, 21EX, 24, 26EX*, 28EX*, 29, 32*, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 49, 50*, 55, 56EX, 60, 64EX, 65, 70*, 71, 73*, 98**, 105, 106*, 107, 111, 114, 116EX, 118EX, 118, 119EX, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 143EX, 148, 150, 156, 157*, 164, 168*, 177*, 180, 181*, 182, 186, 187, 193EX, 197, 204, 208, 212*, 214, 221, 226, 232, 234, 235*, 236, 240, 241, 245, 248, 249, 252, 255, 257, 269, 271, 311, 331, 342*, 346, 348, 355EX*, 358EX* (E Line), and 372EX; and DART routes 903, 907, 914, 915, 917, and 931. (*Routes have additional service or trips as a result of a revision; ** South Lake Union Streetcar)

A total of 33 routes would not be changed, but would likely become more crowded as they absorb riders who lost their service. Those routes include A Line, B line, 10, 15EX, 48, 74EX, 75, 76, 77, 101, 102, 140 (F Line), 153, 166, 169, 183, 216, 218, 219, 224, 246, 268, 301, 303EX, 309EX, 312EX, 316, 330, 345, 347, 373EX, 601EX, DART 906

If the proposed 17 percent service reductions are imposed on the fixed route system, ADA paratransit service may also face reductions.