King County Council approves task force to enhance bus safety after driver’s murder

The King County Council has unanimously approved a new task force to address bus safety in the wake of last December’s murder of Metro driver Shawn Yim.

The Transit Safety Task Force will include members of the King County Council, the Metro Bus union, and law enforcement to develop a safety plan to improve transit safety and security.

Related MyNorthwest: King County Metro, community gathers to honor driver who was murdered

Task force will address top priority

“King County’s top priority when it comes to transit is to keep both the drivers and the riders safe,” said co-sponsor Reagan Dunn at a meeting Tuesday.

“We need to do our part to make sure it functions well,” said council member Claudia Balducci, the other co-sponsor. “And if people aren’t safe or don’t feel safe, then we can’t meet any of those goals.”

Robert Sitzlack is accused of the killing.

Ken Price is a leader within King County Metro’s bus drivers’ union and has emphasized that safety has degraded not just in the past year but for decades.

“I rode the buses in 1971, right to school, it was scary then… it is a lot scarier now,” he said.

Related MyNorthwest: King County Metro to retrofit transit fleet with new safety feature following killing of driver

Senior doesn’t feel safe on buses

Ryan Davis, a senior living in Ballard, echoed the sentiments of her fellow residents. When asked if she felt safe riding the bus right now, she responded, “Not really, not when I hear the news, frankly.”

Bus drivers have identified a few specific actions they believe would make both them and the ridership safer, such as better barriers separating them from riders and an updated, enforced code of conduct for riders. In the council meeting this morning, they said that when drivers call for help, help needs to come within minutes — not after 15 minutes. They also want fare enforcement and security measures at bus stops, such as more lighting.

Contributing: KIRO 7 News