Six artists are turning King County Metro bus rides into graphic novels, and they want to hear from Bellevue riders before an Oct. 31 deadline.

King County Metro and 4Culture, the county's cultural development authority, detailed Moving Stories in an Oct. 5 blog post. The public art project pairs six regional artists with RapidRide bus lines across the county. Each artist is creating two short-form graphic novels inspired by the people and places along the routes, covering every existing and planned RapidRide line, A through K and R.

Two artists are working on lines that run through Bellevue. Kiku Hughes, a Japanese American comic artist from Kenmore whose debut graphic novel Displacement earned an Eisner Award nomination, is covering the B Line between Redmond and Bellevue and the future J Line.

E.T. Russian, a cartoonist and multi-sensory artist who grew up on the Eastside, is covering the G Line and the future K Line connecting Kirkland and Bellevue.

A third artist, Myra Lara, is covering the H Line and the planned I Line, which will replace Route 160 between Renton, Kent and Auburn. The I Line is planned to begin service in 2027. The finished graphic novel collection will be released free to the public to coincide with that launch.

Riders, transit operators and community members can submit stories online or leave a voice message at (425) 952-8132. Metro is asking for memories, favorite views, local landmarks, funny stories or moments that changed how people see their community. A downloadable "memory map" on the 4Culture project page lets participants sketch their RapidRide trip or neighborhood as inspiration.

The deadline to participate is Saturday, Oct. 31.

"Politeness curbs my curiosity every bus ride — so what a wonderful excuse this is to get to know you," Lara wrote in an Aug. 17 post on the 4Culture project page. "Tell me a story! I would love to draw it so you can share it with your community."

The six-artist cohort also includes Monyee Chau, Clyde Petersen and Jonathan Ya'el Eden, each paired with two RapidRide lines spanning south and central King County. An advisory team of graphic design and comics professionals, including Jayme Yen, Jenny Asarnow, Tom Eykemans and Tessa Hulls, is supporting the project.

The artists have already been riding buses and attending neighborhood events to gather material. The 12 completed graphic novels will be distributed free across the county in 2027.