Working Together to Improve Transit Safety

The Regional Transit Safety Task Force is a coordinated, region-wide effort to address the most pressing safety challenges impacting transit operators and riders across King County.

Established in 2025 through a King County Council motion, the Task Force engaged hundreds of stakeholders, including those closest to the challenges, to identify root causes, assess system gaps, and develop a comprehensive set of recommended solutions. This work responds to critical issues such as rising operator assaults, behavioral health and substance use challenges, and fragmented cross-agency response.

In 2026, the focus shifts from recommendations to action. Transit agencies and regional partners are prioritizing solutions, assessing resource and capacity needs, and determining what will move forward into an integrated Action Plan to drive implementation and accountability.

Through coordinated action and shared responsibility, the Task Force is addressing the gaps and challenges within the transit system to create a safer, more reliable experience for operators and riders, and to strengthen the well-being of the communities that depend on it every day.

Several people stand while riding light rail.

The King County Regional Transit Safety Task Force brings together transit agencies, community partners, and those closest to the work to address urgent safety challenges and drive meaningful, system-wide improvements.

This is a multi-phase process that is underway now across the region. Each step builds on the last, with agencies, workers, and community partners driving the work forward together.

Task Force Progress

Dec 2024

Operator Shawn Yim lost his life while on duty.
Jan 2025

King County Council introduced Motion 16783 requesting the Executive to convene a task force on transit safety and security.
Mar 2025

Council adopted Motion 16783, and the Task Force held its ﬁrst convening with broad stakeholder participation to identify challenges and gaps.
Apr–May 2025

Consultants led 14 working group sessions that generated more than 150 proposed solutions.
Jun 2025

Leaders presented recommendations to the Transportation District Board and analyzed ﬁndings from the working group sessions.
July 2025

Stakeholders gathered for a public commitment event where diverse voices spoke on the recommendations, followed by a structured feedback process to reﬁne proposed solutions.
Aug 2025

The planning team drafted the Implementation Plan.
Sep 2025

Stakeholders reviewed the draft plan, and ﬁscal needs for implementation were identiﬁed.
Oct - Nov 2025

Presented to two King County Council committees to provide an update on the recommended solutions and outline the path forward for implementation.
Feb- May 2026

Transit agencies are currently evaluating resource and capacity requirements across all solutions to determine prioritization and define what will be advanced into the Task Force’s integrated Action Plan, with working groups established to support implementation.

0
Stakeholder events
with 250+ attendees

0
Meetings, base visits,
and presentations

0
Organizations &
Agencies Participated

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Working Sessions

0
Proposed activities
to address gaps

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Cities Provided Input

It Take Us All

Reagan Dunn King County Council member 

“Our transit operators and riders deserve to work and commute in safety, and this requires a thorough and multi-jurisdictional regional effort.”
Greg Woodfill President of ATU Local 587 

“We must restore order, safety, and accountability for one’s actions on public transit. All politicians, police forces, and transit leaders in King County are responsible for and must work more closely together to improve public and transit safety. ”
Michelle Allison General Manager, King County Metro 

“We recognize the need for this task force because our agency alone cannot make our communities safer. We look forward to collaborating with cities and other partners to take meaningful actions to improve safety and security for everyone in the region.”
Bruce Harrell Mayor, City of Seattle

“Drivers and operators perform an essential duty every day, and Seattle’s voter-approved transportation levy includes $9 million for transit safety as we work to eliminate threats and impacts of violence that are completely unacceptable for riders and operators. ”
Dow Constantine CEO of Sound Transit

"It's a reminder to take a holistic approach to public safety. This forum is an opportunity to take solutions that are not just effective but wise and compassionate. "
Claudia Balducci Council member of King County Council 

"People must feel safe working and riding on our system if we are to meet these goals. With this motion, we are recommitting ourselves to building a foundation of safety and ensuring that every Metro employee and transit rider can safely reach their destinations."