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Council presses for faster rollout of transit security after Metro driver’s fatal stabbing
Summary
After the fatal stabbing of Metro bus driver Sean Yim, councilmembers used the Jan. 6 briefing to call for protective barriers, faster use of 2025 budgeted funds for transit security and a regional approach to operator safety.
Councilmembers used a Jan. 6 briefing to renew calls for immediate, operational changes to transit security after the fatal stabbing of Metro operator Sean Yim and to press county and regional partners for coordinated action.
Councilmember Rob Saka, chair of the Transportation Committee, said the council last year appropriated $2,000,000 for transit safety: roughly $1,000,000 to expand transit ambassadors and social‑work supports and $1,000,000 for contracted transit security including extra patrols. “We appropriated that money … to be spent in 2025,” Saka said, adding that departments must now operationalize those funds and that the executive can and should expedite contracts.
Saka and other members also repeated demands heard from the drivers’ union (ATU Local 587): enhanced protections for operators, including “protective barriers and cages” and extra security personnel. Saka said the council must “align on a regional approach to transit security” across Metro, Sound Transit and other agencies.
Councilmember Lisa Rivera (remarks identifying the operator involved) commended the Metro operator Timothy Nelson, who she said “bravely and very calmly called Seattle Police so they could come and apprehend the suspect” and noted that a suspect was apprehended and charged. Rivera and others said safety improvements are needed both on buses and on light rail, where councilmembers said riders and operators sometimes face safety incidents.
Councilmember Rob Strauss and others emphasized that while the council has funded new programs, implementation lags: some contracted services and reporting requirements set in prior legislation had not yet been operationalized when the attack occurred. Strauss cited a council requirement for enhanced incident reporting and transparency intended to support a regional security plan; Saka said delays in deploying contracted services and hiring contributed to the gap between appropriation and operational effect.
Councilmembers said the problem is not confined to a single jurisdiction: they called for coordinated county and regional action, clearer data and quicker contracting to put personnel and physical protections in place. Saka said the measures should prioritize both operators and riders and that the council will continue tracking implementation.
