King County Metro is pointing to a host of new security efforts as proof that its system is getting safer, but many drivers and riders say the daily experience on the bus still has a ways to go. Behavioral health outreach teams, added security officers and new protective barriers are rolling out, even as some of the biggest promises are running behind schedule and racing the clock.
What's Been Done
Metro’s Behavioral Health Support teams logged nearly 10,000 rider contacts in 2025, handled more than 420 crisis interventions and helped connect roughly 1,100 people to shelter. Those teams now work seven days a week at key transit centers as part of what the agency calls a “care and presence” strategy. According to King County Metro, the goal is to calm situations before they escalate and cut down on the need for enforcement.
Riders, Incidents and Union Concerns
Metro has also boosted its ranks of contracted transit security officers, growing the force from about 175 to roughly 220. The transit police unit now sits in the mid 60s for commissioned deputies and is working toward a budgeted total of 89 positions. Even so, drivers and the Amalgamated Transit Union argue that both staffing levels and the visible security presence are still not where they need to be. Union leaders told KIRO 7 they want protections that feel more immediate and concrete out on the road.
Driver Protection and Training
On the hardware side, Metro has finished 345 driver protection retrofits and taken delivery of 89 new battery electric buses that come with operator partitions already installed. That is only the start of a multi year job to equip roughly 1,300 coaches across the fleet, a project the agency has estimated will cost in the tens of millions of dollars.
As reported by The Seattle Times, recent months have seen about 60 to 80 security incident reports per million riders, which marks a noticeable improvement compared with 2022. At the same time, the third phase of a promised de escalation course for operators has been pushed back into later in 2026, even though more than 80 percent of drivers have already completed the first two sessions.
What's Next
County budget provisos now tie Metro’s security work to a series of deadlines and check ins. The agency has been ordered to produce a bus route security report this fall and to spell out how contracted officers and diversion services will be assigned across the system. The motions also fund outside consultants and require semiannual progress reports to keep tabs on milestones and spending.
According to King County Council, those reporting requirements are designed to keep the public in the loop as Metro works toward its security and training targets.
For now, the story is one of gradual movement. Outreach teams, more officers and hundreds of bus retrofits appear to be bringing some incident measures down, yet drivers, advocates and council members stress that the system will not truly feel safe enough until staffing, training and protective barriers are fully in place. Metro is expected to keep returning to the council and the public with updates as the spring 2027 retrofit deadline draws closer.
