Why Buses From North Bend Now End at Mercer Island Station

In the first days after the fall service change, a writer for Seattle Transit Blog stood at the North Mercer Way bus bays trying to find the right stop. The eastbound bay had no sign listing its routes. The sign at the bay across the street still showed the routes from before the service change. A route 215 was waiting there, and someone at the curb asked the driver, "Do you go to North Bend?"

Before Aug. 29, nobody asked that question at Mercer Island. The fall restructure made the island's station the western end of bus routes that start as far out as the Snoqualmie Valley. For people who live here, a lot of the Eastside's travel now stops on the island to change from bus to train. That shows up in the roundabout on 77th Avenue SE, in the bus bays, and in the parking.

The Bus Map Now Stops at North Mercer Way

Sound Transit's fall service change started Saturday, Aug. 29, and it dropped two familiar routes. The service-change notice lists ST Express 550, Bellevue to Seattle, and 554, Issaquah to Seattle, as discontinued. It names the 2 Line and route 556 as the alternatives. The revised 556 now runs to Bellevue Transit Center and Bellevue Downtown Station instead of the University District.

King County Metro took the same approach and pointed Eastside routes at the train. According to Metro's announcement, the station now sees these changes:

• Route 215 is new. It runs every day of the week between North Bend, Snoqualmie, Issaquah and Mercer Island Station, and it replaces route 208, according to Metro's service-change page.
• Route 269 now continues past Issaquah Highlands to Mercer Island Station. Weekday peak trips come every 15 minutes, and the route has weekend service for the first time. Metro describes it as all-day, all-week service between Sammamish and the island.
• Route 204 still serves the island and lists Mercer Island Station Bay 1 among its stops on the current timetable.
• Route 630 changed only on First Hill. It still stops at Mercer Village and Mercer Island Station before crossing to Seattle.

Two of the routes on that list now begin or end on the island. Riders coming from Sammamish or North Bend who are headed for Seattle get off at North Mercer Way and walk to the train.

The Roundabout Settles a Fight That Started in 2017

How buses would turn around on the island was argued over for years before any train ran. The Mercer Island Reporter reported that a 2017 settlement kept bus pickup, drop-off and layovers on the south side of North Mercer Way. Layovers were allowed only from 3:30 to 7 p.m. and could last no longer than 15 minutes. Metro was not a party to that settlement. In 2019 it asked to use both sides of the street and to drop the layover limit, and residents objected to the extra street crossings that would follow.

The plan published that year gave buses a set loop. They would leave I-90 at 80th Avenue SE, let passengers off at the stop on the north side of North Mercer Way, turn around at a roundabout at 77th Avenue SE, then pick passengers up on the south side and get back on the freeway. The finished station-area work matches that plan. The City's project page lists forecourts at 77th and 80th avenues SE, a bus-turnaround roundabout at 77th Avenue SE and North Mercer Way, and changes to the layover areas at the North Mercer Way Park & Ride.

That roundabout is now used for its intended purpose. The Seattle Transit Blog writer saw the 215 waiting at the bay across North Mercer Way from the eastbound bay. When it pulled out, he guessed it would use the new roundabout to loop back. On the island, then, the road work has been ready longer than the route signs.

What the End of the Line Gives the Island

Riders transferring at the station get a lot of rail service. Since the Crosslake Connection opened on March 28, 2026, the 2 Line has run from Mercer Island through Judkins Park and joins the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown. Sound Transit runs trains seven days a week from about 5 a.m. to midnight. They come roughly every eight minutes at peak and every 10 to 15 minutes at other times. On Sept. 3, the Seattle Transit Blog trip from Westlake to Mercer Island took 14 minutes, boarding at 3:02 p.m. and arriving at 3:16.

During opening week, a Mercer Island resident told KOMO News she took the train every day to her teaching job on Capitol Hill, and that it got her around traffic and felt fast. For a Mariners or Seahawks game, riders change to the 1 Line at International District/Chinatown.

The latest station-level ridership count comes from April 2026, before the bus restructure. That month Mercer Island averaged 1,723 weekday boardings and Judkins Park averaged 2,130, as reported by Seattle Transit Blog. The same analysis expected both stations to grow as travel patterns changed and as Metro and Sound Transit moved their bus networks onto Link in August. The April number reflects a station used mostly by islanders and park-and-ride drivers. The Aug. 29 changes added bus riders from three other cities.

Parking Is Where It Gets Tight

The station's growing role shows up first in parking. KOMO reported that the Park & Ride fills quickly and that nearby streets with permit restrictions are enforced on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. These are the current options near the station and Town Center:

The figures for the Park & Ride and the Town Center lot come from the City's Getting Around page. KOMO's spring reporting put the paid lot at 36 spaces, so the City's 33 is the number shown here. The street rules come from the City's Town Center parking plan, which requires drivers to move to a different block when they re-park and sets a $54 fine. Mercer Island Police enforce the limits. The City opened the paid lot in July 2025 partly for commuters and all-day visitors. That was more than a year before the August bus changes.

Getting dropped off this week takes a little extra planning. The station page says sidewalk work at the west entrance runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. During work hours, northbound access and the nearby pickup and drop-off spot are closed, and the entrance can only be reached from the south.

Friday Evening in Town Center

Town Center businesses talked about the train long before it opened. In March, the Mercer Island Reporter asked around and got a range of answers. MercyVet saw a benefit for staff who could commute without highway traffic. Clarke & Clarke Art + Artifacts and Barrels Wine Bar both said they would wait and see how it affected business. On opening day, Hap's told KOMO it did about 50% more business than on a typical day, and noted that the good weather may have helped.

Town Center fills with costumes this Friday. Town Center Trick-or-Treat runs Friday, Oct. 30, from 4 to 6 p.m. Businesses handing out treats have a poster of two little ghosts in the window. The City's list of participants includes Island Books, Macrina, Mioposto, Pagliacci, Sushi Joa, Crawlspace Gastropub, Vivienne's Bistro, Hub Boba & Creamery, Teazzi, Drizzle, The Hadley, Barrels, Hap's, L'Experience Paris, Mercer Island Florist, True Value, MercyVet, Island Cats Veterinary Hospital and the Mercer Island Library. The City says a downloadable map and the full list of participating businesses will be posted the week of the event.

Trick-or-Treat runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on a Friday, and the two-hour street limit is in effect then. Families driving in from elsewhere on the island may find the Town Center lot's two free hours fit the event's two hours exactly.

Changes like the new bus routes and the station-area parking affect how a home near Town Center works day to day, and they matter when you're thinking about a sale or purchase on the island. If you'd like to talk through what the station area means for your own plans, Trey Danna Real Estate Group is glad to help. Schedule a Private Consultation.