(The Center Square) – King County Metro workers are calling for an urgent response to safety concerns as county council members explore solutions.
The King County Committee of the Whole held its first meeting of the year on Monday with transit safety as the topic of discussion.
King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci started the committee meeting acknowledging the tragic death of Metro bus driver Shawn Yim, who was killed on the job last month.
“One clear message that we heard is that as leaders of this county, this council has a key role and responsibility in making sure that safety is and will be the top priority of this county for our employees and for the public,” Balducci said.
King County Metro bus drivers spoke during public comment. They voiced frustrations with Metro, claiming that the department prioritizes service over operator safety, which they say led to Yim’s murder.
One Metro bus driver said that Metro required drivers to continue serving the same route Yim was killed on the following day, with no description of the suspect and no additional protection for drivers.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 President Greg Woodfill said the county can change Metro riding rules all it wants, but if they are not enforced, it does not help with driver security.
“We have a public safety problem, not a transit problem,” Woodfill said during the Committee of the Whole meeting. “Our frontline transit employees suffer directly from the effects of not having enough resources to combat homelessness, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and the resulting criminal activity in every city that we serve.”
Woodfill said drivers are far too often shot, struck by objects, and exposed to fentanyl and other lethal drugs.
One concern Woodfill mentioned was the lack of staffing for the Metro Transit Police Division.
The Metro Transit Police division of the King County Sheriff’s Office is funded through a contract with Metro, rather than the general fund. According to King County Senior Principal Legislative Analyst Mary Bourguignon, there are currently 65 of 79 budgeted positions filled within the division, with remaining shifts filled through overtime at the end of 2024. The division has increased its funded positions to 89 for 2025, but staff shortages remain a concern.
The 2023-2024 King County biennial budget also provided $11.8 million to double the number of contracted transit security officers from 70 to 160 through 2025.
However, Woodfill alleges that the contracted security guards often avoid work or do not do their jobs and need to be monitored for performance.
Woodfill also suggested the county move funding dedicated to making Metro’s bus fleet 100% electric to transit safety measures instead in order to address rider and operator concerns.
“A fleet of all electric buses that no one uses will not help climate change,” Woodfill said. “Getting more people out of their cars by expanding safe transit is just as beneficial as rapidly electrifying the fleet.”
One potential solution that received positive feedback from council members and Woodfill is a bus driver shield, which would provide a barrier between drivers and violent passengers.
During the committee meeting, King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison explained what the department is doing to ensure Metro transit is safe. This includes increased security presence on buses and bus stops.
Metro has also partnered with King County Department of Community and Human Services to pilot a behavioral health support team that provides cold weather supplies, de-escalation intervention, food, and shelter referrals.
According to Allison, the pilot program team has needed to request the police three times out of 4,500 contacts and 213 crisis response and de-escalation situations.