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King County proclaims Transit Appreciation Week, honors Metro employees
Summary
The council proclaimed March 16–22, 2025, Transit Appreciation Week, recognized Transit Operator Appreciation Day on March 18 and presented awards to long‑serving King County Metro employees; County Executive pledged action on transit safety and continued electric bus rollout.
The Metropolitan King County Council on March 18 proclaimed the week of March 16–22, 2025, as Transit Appreciation Week and recognized individual transit workers and longtime Metro employees for service to the region.
Council Member Quinn read the proclamation and invited transit employees to the front of the chamber; the proclamation, as read, noted that King County Metro operates buses, streetcars, light rail, the King County water taxi, vanpools, on‑demand services and access paratransit and said Metro ‘‘employs over 5,700 people’’ and moves ‘‘over 360,000 passengers across buses, boats, trains and streetcars every day.’’ The proclamation also noted that Metro will begin receiving new battery electric buses in 2025 as part of a transition to a zero‑emissions fleet and cited an American Public Transportation Association ranking that placed King County Metro second among large agencies for percentage ridership increase over the past year.
Why it matters: Council members and the executive framed the recognition as gratitude for the workforce that runs a complex, 24/7 regional mobility system; the Executive also emphasized upcoming work on transit safety and system expansion.
County Executive remarks and safety focus County Executive Dow Constantine addressed the chamber and thanked transit workers for their role in the region’s economy and quality of life. Constantine credited a large ridership rebound and said the county’s continuing job is ‘‘to build a system that meets the needs of a changing community,’’ noting changes in commuting patterns and the growth of housing within walking distance of transit. He said he looked forward to working with transit partners on safety and to a Thursday‑scheduled safety summit.
Awards and recognitions Council members recognized several transit employees and award recipients by name, including Tulene Tolliver (co‑Transit Operator of the Year), Pardeep Kale (Light Rail Employee of the Year), Lynn Winfield (project and program manager, Metro Wall of Fame) and Michael Mitchell (utility laborer, General Manager Award). The proclamation declared March 18 Transit Operator Appreciation Day, recognizing the work of Metro’s operators, water‑taxi and light‑rail staff, and access‑service drivers.
County service awards Following the transit proclamation, the executive presented county service awards honoring dozens of employees from Metro and other departments for milestones of 10, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service. Recipients included Gregory Beiter, Evangelina Corona Gutierrez, Stacy Gosby, Sukharath Thirafat, Travis Raynor, Shannon Strozier, Alan Calimlim and Azeem Hassan Underwood among others listed by the executive during the ceremony.
Ending: Council members and the executive used the occasion to note Metro’s transition to electric buses and to underscore ongoing work on transit safety; the chamber took group photos with honorees and invited the public to observe the week’s recognition events.
