Crossposted from Metro Matters

Recruiting and training new bus operators allows our region’s transit network to continue to grow. On June 21, King County Metro celebrated the graduation of 54 part-time operators to full-time status. June also marked Metro’s highest number of full-time operators since 2021, although we still need to add many more to meet the high demand for transit service in the coming years. In addition, we recently began training our first class of external candidates seeking to become full-time bus operators.

Metro has historically hired part-time operators who can later apply for full-time status. We’ve switched to hiring external candidates, which is a proven approach used by many transit agencies. While a part-time operator hiring model fit our system when more riders were traveling during commuting hours, full-time operators better fit Metro’s current workforce needs in delivering reliable all-day service. Metro plans to hire and train both part-time and full-time operators in the years ahead to meet the varied needs of our riders. Read more.