King County Metro suspends 6 peak routes amid staffing shortage

This week some Seattle area bus commutes are getting a bit more complicated. That's because King County Metro is suspending service on a handful of routes.

This comes ahead of the agency's plans for a wider reduction in service starting in September.

Metro is not making these cuts because of the usual suspects like low ridership or a budget shortfall. Instead, the agency is citing staffing shortages.

The agency suspended peak weekday trips along routes 16, 232, 237, 301, 304 and 320 from June 12 through June 23. King County Metro has a list of alternative routes for riders on their website.

"It's a lot of these kind of routes that beeline for the suburbs; express routes, peak only," said Doug Trumm, publisher at The Urbanist. "It is still important service for the riders that are relying on that, and especially as a lot of our major employers in the area are asking people to come back to work."

Trumm said that Metro is currently short around 150 bus operators and a dozen mechanics. This temporary service reduction is prelude to a larger reduction in the fall, when Metro plans a 4% service reduction.

Trumm spoke with Metro General Manager Michelle Allison about the agency's plans to hire more operators and mechanics, including a potential new labor agreement with employees, marketing work at Metro, and the potential to change drug testing.

Listen to the full interview with Doug Trumm by hitting the play button above. You can also read his interview with Metro GM Michelle Allison here.