King County Metro outlines safety upgrades, fare enforcement relaunch and service changes ahead of Redmond Link opening

At the March 18, 2025 meeting of the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison gave a quarterly update on safety, reliability and upcoming service changes ahead of the Downtown Redmond Link extension opening and spring service changes.

Allison told the committee Metro’s top priority is safety and described the agency’s SAFE (safety, security and fair enforcement) reforms launched in 2020 and its “care and presence” model, which combines traditional security methods with behavioral-health specialists and community ambassadors to respond to incidents on and near transit. She said Metro has created a cross‑divisional safety emphasis coordination team that works with county agencies, 39 jurisdictions and community groups to address chronic issues and route local responses where they are needed.

Allison said Metro has accelerated operator protections after the December death of a colleague, including installing stronger, laminated tempered‑glass partitions with…