The bus route traveled through Downtown Seattle on 3rd Avenue, the main transit corridor for the city, and turned east onto Olive Way near the Westlake Center.

[4] Route 41 was the trunk service for North Seattle, connecting with local buses at Northgate Transit Center and in Lake City.

[8] Increasing congestion on Interstate 5 and declining bus ridership led city officials to propose a rapid transit service using the freeway's reversible express lanes.

[16] Service was originally slated to begin in 1968, and delays led to the federal government establishing a deadline in early 1969 for a city decision on whether to move forward.

[19] Blue Streak service on Route 41 began on September 8, 1970, traveling on local streets between Sand Point, Lake City and Northgate Mall, and proceeding onto Interstate 5 non-stop to Downtown Seattle.

[25] The Blue Streak system was expanded to other routes in the 1970s and served as the model for modern park-and-ride express service in the Seattle metropolitan area and across the United States.

[28] The study determined that 75 percent of surveyed patrons had switched from their personal automobiles, and that Blue Streak was responsible for a decrease of 400 vehicles on Interstate 5 at rush hour.

[29] By late October, demand at the Northgate park and ride prompted the State Highway Department to offer funding for an auxiliary lot.

[30] Seattle Transit cancelled Saturday service on the Blue Streak routes in March 1971, citing low patronage and the near-empty parking lot at Northgate.

[33] As part of the changeover, the leased Blue Streak parking lot was acquired by Metro using funds from the Urban Mass Transit Administration.

[44][45][46] Buses were permanently removed from the downtown transit tunnel on March 23, 2019, as construction at Convention Place station had severed access to the north portal.

[49] Route 41 was permanently retired on October 2, 2021, following the extension of Link light rail service to Northgate Transit Center.