The 7,000 daily riders of buses from the Federal Way Transit Center started catching their rides in a new place on March 30.

The Federal Way Transit Center is now the Federal Way Downtown Station bus loop and has moved a block over to connect better to the future light rail station that will open in 2026.

Local leaders celebrated the new Federal Way Downtown Station bus loop with a ribbon cutting on March 26.

The bus loop is now located on S. 319th Street leading from 22nd Ave. S. to the roundabout where S. 317th St. and 23rd Ave. S. meet. It is now on the same street as the light rail station that will open in 2026.

Bus routes at the new bus loop include: King County Metro routes 177, 181, 182, 183, 187, 193 and 901 and Sound Transit Express routes 577 to Seattle, 578 to Seattle, 574 to Sea-Tac, 586 to U District, 574 to Lakewood, 578 to Auburn – Puyallup and 586 to Tacoma.

“This new bus loop represents the first step toward significantly improved transit access for South King County,” King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Board Member Pete von Reichbauer said at the opening, adding that “it showcases regional collaboration with service provided by King County Metro, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit.”

While the move is only one block over, it was necessary for pedestrian safety and for better connection to the light rail, Senior Architect Yuki Seda-Kane told the Mirror. It is part of the larger plan for how cars, people, buses and the new light rail will all flow together. Another change to the area is the roundabout that is now being used to help everyone travel through the area smoothly safely.

To help ease the transition for riders from old transit center to new, the bus stops themselves kept the same configuration, so the same buses are clustered together and they are in the same order. Two additional stops have also been added.

Other speakers at the ribbon cutting included Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell, Sound Transit Board Member and Fife Mayor Kim Roscoe and Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman, who celebrated the collaboration between many different entities as the light rail inches ever closer to the county line.

Mayor Ferrell spoke to the impact these transit projects will have on the city for many years, saying “this is 100 year infrastructure that we’re going to be enjoying, and our children’s children will be enjoying for decades to come, and it’s transformational,” Ferrell said.

Coordination between the various transit organizations is vital for transit centers like the one in Federal Way as they already serve buses operated by Pierce County Transit, the Sound Transit Express buses specifically.

Fife Mayor Kim Roscoe emphasized that while it takes a lot of coordination behind the scenes, the goal is for passengers to be able to move smoothly between transit operators without noticing much of a difference.

Learn more

For Federal Way Link Light Rail Extension updates: https://www.soundtransit.org/system-expansion/federal-way-link-extension

For updates on King County Metro service changes: https://kingcountymetro.blog/2025/03/17/more-king-county-metro-bus-service-starting-march-29/

A new bus loop replaced the Federal Way Transit Center as of March 30, 2025, moving from adjacent to the parking garage to being aligned with the light rail. Map provided by Sound Transit

Fife Mayor Kim Roscoe, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell, Sound Transit Board Member and King County Councilmember and Sound Transit Interim CEO Goran Sparrman speak at the ribbon cutting for the new Federal Way downtown bus loop on March 26. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

The new Federal Way Downtown Station bus loop opened on March 30, 2025. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

The former Federal Way Transit Center is now closed, and riders are catching their buses at the new Federal Way Downtown Station bus loop a block away. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

A new roundabout is now in use to help traffic flow smoothly at this busy transit hub between 23rd Avenue South, South 317th Street and South 319th Street. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror