Now hiring: King County Metro recruiting part-time transit operators as bus service increases

ByJeff Switzer, King County Metro
Metro transit operators in yellow safety vests at the bus base.

King County Metro launched a new hiring push today as the agency seeks part-time transit operators to provide bus service and support increasing service levels. The job posting is available online and applications can be submitted through Jan. 23.

More part-time bus drivers are needed to support King County Metro’s plans to increase bus service in cities and communities across King County. Metro provides great pay, fantastic benefits and a pension for compassionate and service-driven individuals looking to serve their community.

No experience is necessary and approximately two months of paid training is included. Trainees will complete in-house testing to obtain their Washington State Commercial Driver License. Initial training pay is $23.32 per hour, followed by a starting wage of $31.39 per hour once training is completed, and $44.84 per hour within 36 months. A $3,000 bonus also is available for new employees.

Transit operators are the backbone of King County Metro bus service, serving hundreds of thousands of transit riders each day across the county. Potential transit operators are encouraged to apply if they have a commitment to customer service, safety and community. Reliability and punctuality are fundamental traits of successful transit operators, as well as people who are great communicators, enjoy helping others and want to make a difference in people’s lives.

Visit kingcounty.gov/MetroCareers to learn more about working at Metro. You can also view other current Metro job postings. Positions are typically posted for one to two weeks. If there isn’t a current opening that interests you, please sign up for King County job alerts (select “Transit”) and we’ll reach out to you when new opportunities are posted online.

More transit service for a growing region

Metro continues to hire transit operators to build up our workforce to support more service, both for near-term events like World Cup and long-term sustained service growth. King County Metro plans to increase bus service by 400,000 service hours in 2026 and 2027, a roughly 10% increase above today’s service levels, adding hundreds of additional daily trips for riders.  Growth will focus on providing more frequent service, connecting people with new Link light rail stations across King County, redesigning service to meet current and future needs, and launching new RapidRide lines.

There are roughly 300,000 weekday boardings on Metro bus service according to recent estimates, plus another 100,000 weekday boardings on Link light rail service that Metro operates for Sound Transit. Metro currently has nearly 2,600 transit operators providing bus service, including more than 2,300 full-time operators and more than 280 part-time operators. To expand our workforce to deliver more bus service, Metro’s goal is to hire about 375 part-time operators and 150 full-time operators this year.

The continued expansion of Link light rail and RapidRide provides ongoing opportunities for Metro to build a transit system that works well for riders, and to help people connect to new stations. Major changes will take place in fall 2026 to connect with light rail in South King County, on the Eastside, and with the new Pinehurst station in north Seattle.

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