Few places in the world offer as many travel options as the Puget Sound region. At King County Metro, we provide bus, paratransit, vanpool, on-demand vehicles and water taxis. We also operate the Seattle Streetcar, Sound Transit Link light rail and Sound Transit Express buses. Our goal is to provide you with affordable, reliable and safe service that makes transit your number one way to travel.

How Metro is reducing security incidents

We want you to feel safe and welcome throughout your entire journey. We’ve more than doubled our Transit Security Officers over the past two years from 70 to 160. We’ve deployed Metro Ambassadors to provide customer support. And we activated a Behavioral Health Support Team to aid customers who are in crisis or need of resources.

When Transit Security Officers board buses and visit transit centers, they offer help to riders and serve as a deterrent to unlawful or unsafe behavior. Over 2023, additional staffing allowed them to expand their efforts on behalf of our customers:

  • Transit Security Officers boarded 2,093 buses in February 2023 to provide a safety and security presence. By November 2023, they had increased their monthly boardings to more than 10,000 buses.
  • At Aurora Village Transit Center and Burien Transit Center, Transit Security Officers began providing overnight coverage in March 2023 and then expanded to 24/7 coverage in June 2023.

Our Metro Ambassadors, in their easily recognizable blue jackets, assist customers in higher-ridership areas and during popular events such as concerts and sports. Many of our ambassadors served as Metro bus operators and have a deep knowledge of our transit network. Metro Ambassadors use a language interpretation service to communicate with riders in more than 140 languages.

In addition to delivering resources and support, our Behavioral Health Support Team is trained in de-escalation and prevention to reduce the need for police or security. The team provides cold weather supplies, connections to community partners, de-escalation interventions, food, hygiene items and shelter referrals.

While there is more work to be done, our “care and presence” approach is already making a positive difference. Security incidents in 2023 were down 12% from 2019 (before the pandemic) and down 22% from the peak in 2020. Drug-related incidents in January 2024 were down 33% from January 2023.

Rider expectations and consequences

Metro’s Code of Conduct is designed to keep transit enjoyable for all. Please follow the guidelines posted on and near our buses, and our other vehicles and vessels. All other laws also apply on transit.

In addition to the proactive presence of Metro Transit Police and Transit Security Officers, bus operators can request their support. Moderate infractions may result in verbal reminders and removal from transit. In these cases, we always first allow a passenger to disembark on their own. If the passenger continues with unacceptable behavior and does not respond to de-escalation efforts, they will be removed.

More severe infractions—such as assaults or drug use—can lead to arrest and/or a suspension of transit use for a period of time. In some cases, passengers are also suspended for repeated moderate offenses. This protects the experience of other passengers while providing an avenue for improved behavior.

If you see something…

If something isn’t right, please report it. Call or text 9-1-1 in an emergency. When it’s less urgent, call Metro customer service at 206-553-3000.

We also encourage you to keep yourself safe by not being distracted by your cellphone when traversing sidewalks and streets, not running after buses and other transit vehicles, and being extra cautious when it’s icy or during times of lower visibility. Many customers opt for bright or reflective clothing or use lights before sunrise and after sunset.

As always, your feedback and guidance on how we can serve you best—now and in the future—is our North Star as we move forward together.