Bus advice: The one thing Tom tells all his fellow riders

Tom Tangney rides the bus. But not only that, he often boasts about it and promotes the transit practice. So it’s no surprise he has some bus advice to impart to fellow riders.

“Being a good bus rider, I taught my daughters that whenever they have to catch the bus anywhere, they should always catch the bus before the bus they have to catch,” Tom said.

King County Metro seeks 200 drivers

That’s the most important bus advice Tom said he could give to a fellow transit rider, such as Aaron Mason. Mason was recently left on the side of the road as his scheduled ride never arrived. Turns out the trip was likely cancelled due to a bus driver shortage King County Metro is currently experiencing.

King County Metro needs about 50 drivers immediately to cover route needs — 200 over the coming years. In the meantime, when drivers get sick, or they just don’t have enough to cover the routes, some trips get cancelled. Metro has its own bus advice, such as using the Puget Sound Trip Planner app to see what trips might be cancelled, or checking Metro’s Twitter account for any announcements.

But in any case, Tom stresses his bus advice for any rider — he has crafted it over years of transit-riding wisdom.

“That way when anything like this that happens – a sick driver or something – always plan on getting the bus before, and you’ll be in better shape,” Tom said.

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