SEATTLE — King County Metro and county leadership have been working on safety improvements for all public transit systems following several attacks on passengers and drivers in recent years.
The King County Transit Safety Task Force was created after the death of a Metro driver in December 2024.
The task force gathered at the Machinists Union Hall in Seattle and shared their findings and recommendations.
“Honestly, since the day our operator Shawn Kim was murdered, the County Council has been there,” ATU President Greg Woodfill said.
One of the main leaders on the transit safety task force is Michelle Allison, General Manager of King County Metro Transit.
She says they came up with both short-term and long-term solutions for safety improvements across public transit.
Some of those solutions include hiring more security officers, better relationships with responding agencies, better lighting at bus stops, and improving the reporting tools for riders and drivers.
“And then we use that information to deploy our resources really quickly so that the public can see that we hear and are acting,” Allison said.
District 6 King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci says that during the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee meeting on Wednesday, they approved $26 million for safety and security investments.
This is part of the proposed supplemental budget.
The city of Seattle has also committed more than $5 million in voter-approved funding to support Metro’s 2025 safety and security efforts.
The funds will need a full vote from the council.
“And that will be ongoing. We will have to fund that into the future, but it is a good down payment in making sure people feel safe riding our transit system,” Balducci said.
Bus drivers like Woodfill argue these funds are necessary, and it’s too little, too late to worry about finances when it comes to safety.
He says things have improved when it comes to safety for metro bus drivers, but believes it’s a conversation that needs to continue.
“We should never stop. We got a lot of more work to do,” Woodfill said.
“It shouldn’t matter what city you’re in, what boundaries you’re on or what route you take, everyone should feel safe getting to and from their destination of choice,” Allison said.
Allison says some of the recommendations from the transit safety task force have already started.
She says the rest are still waiting for public feedback.
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