King County Metro unveils latest idea for keeping bus drivers safer

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If you ride King County Metro buses, you’ve seen them: the clear plastic gates known as “sneeze guards,” that swing between the driver and the front door.

They were meant to protect drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but aren’t strong enough to thwart an attacker, and with assaults on Metro drivers a continuing problem, the agency and the drivers’ union are looking to install heavier partitions that lock. Plans have been discussed for months but gained political urgency since the fatal stabbing of a bus driver in December.

Drivers could open the new gates when needed, for instance to leave their seat to strap a customer’s wheelchair in place, or reset a dislodged trolleybus pole to the outdoor power wires.

“If nothing else, it brings some operators some peace of mind,” said Greg Woodfill, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 president. “Some of them are terrified to go to work. … It’s not the total solution, but it’s a start.”

The county’s rough estimate is $15.1 million for 1,200 buses. To retrofit the entire fleet would likely take more than a year for design, manufacture and installation, said spokesperson Sean Hawks.

The new screens cost $8,000 to $12,000 each, and getting them installed quickly is top priority, said Rebecca Frankhouser, Metro’s chief safety officer. About 200 older buses on the brink of being retired won’t be modified, she said.

Eager to get drivers’ feedback, Metro began a two-week internal roadshow Monday, to circulate a pair of prototype buses among all seven operations and maintenance bases, followed by an employee survey.

Last year, 14 bus driver assaults were criminally prosecuted, said Frankhouser.

When all physical assaults are counted, including spitting, reported incidents ranged from five to 14 per month in 2018, and between four and 13 per month in 2024, she said.

King County leaders have promised stronger partitions and other security measures, following the fatal stabbing of Metro driver Shawn Yim on Dec. 18, while he was on duty overnight in the University District.

A passenger got into a disagreement with Yim over an open window, and when ordered off the bus, managed to pepper spray Yim. Video showed the assailant easily pushing the sneeze guard aside. Yim, 59, followed the man out of the bus, called 911, and was found fatally stabbed nearby. Richard Sitzlack, 53, has been charged with murder and assault.

Metro’s leading option is a pivoting 75-pound gate called AROWGuard, by a Wisconsin-based firm. It contains a thick aluminum base topped by a pair of laminated glass panes. These are similar to side windows on cars, said Josh Arreola, a Metro maintenance analyst.

Los Angeles Metro added the high-strength barriers to 2,000 coaches last year, according to local news reports. Arreola said transit agencies have installed them in Spokane and Portland.

The metal gate latches to a vertical bar near the farebox, while the glass extends slightly over the farebox. The device stands about 6 feet, 8 inches high and covers the driver area, except for a 2-foot gap near the front windshield. One pane can slide, in case the transit operator wants to hear better, exchange items by hand, or reduce glare.

They’re far stronger than existing plastic screens held shut by a small hydraulic cylinder.

The lightweight screens were rapidly designed and installed by Metro’s own crews in 2020, to reduce airborne risks like sneezing, coughing and spitting, when the COVID outbreak hit Washington state.

Harder barriers have generated debate for many years, and opinion seemed split 50-50, but has lately favored more protection, said Frankhouser. The two prototype buses, being shown to drivers now, have circulated for years on the Eastside with their metal gates but smaller windows, an experiment that wasn’t expanded, Metro staff said.

Besides stronger swing gates, other options include a fixeddriver-area barrier designed by Metro, or a full enclosure similar to streetcar-operator cabs. The latter two options require more engineering and dollars, Arreola said.

Metro says it already ordered four test buses, due in fall 2026, with Euro-style separated driver compartments, like on trains.

Metro operates 47 bus makes and models, Frankhouser said, which entails slight adjustments even using off-the-shelf products. Assuming the heavy swing gate is well received, Metro would promptly order them as standard equipment for a batch of 89 rechargeable battery-powered buses, from Gilling in California, said Arreola.

Bus operator Sukhjinder Singh Thind, examining the device Monday, said “this one is definitely stronger than what we have right now. I want something that is a 100% solution. Let’s do it right, one time.”

He suggested a larger glass pane, so it would be impossible to reach around and throw anything at the driver.

“We deal with a lot of stuff,” Thind said. “I’m not here for fare enforcement. I’m not a psychiatrist, I don’t know how to handle those people.” Transit safety is important, so Metro should be sure angry people can’t gain access to drivers, he said.

The union’s Woodfill said Metro maintenance crews would add a glass piece to close the remaining gap, a modification used in Los Angeles. He figures local crews can install 30 units a week.

Rod Dembowski, chair of the Metropolitan King County Council’s transportation committee, said $15 million for barriers, in this year’s $2 billion-plus budget, is “a lot of money, but in the Metro budget it’s virtually nothing.” The county will not sacrifice safety for dollars, he said.

Woodfill said the union will hold County Executive Dow Constantine and Metro General Manager Michelle Allison to their public promises of barriers and more security.

“We’re concerned about the passengers, too,” Woodfill said. “Once we seal off the operators we’ll fight for the passengers.”

King County buses currently serve a quarter-million daily riders.