A Sound Transit express bus in October 2021 at the Northgate light rail station in Seattle. Several express routes operated by Community Transit into Bellevue and Seattle have had daily trips cut because of driver shortages. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)

A Sound Transit express bus in October 2021 at the Northgate light rail station in Seattle. Several express routes operated by Community Transit into Bellevue and Seattle have had daily trips cut because of driver shortages. (Kevin Clark / Herald file)

Driver shortage cuts bus routes between Snohomish, King counties

Sound Transit cut 18 daily trips on express routes through March 19. Meanwhile, Community Transit is hiring.

EVERETT — Driver shortages caused Sound Transit to cut 18 daily weekday bus trips on express routes between King and Snohomish counties.

Similar problems with canceled or delayed trips over the past month have also hit Sound Transit’s other express routes, operated by King County Metro and Pierce Transit.

The Snohomish County-centric service changes took effect Monday and are to last through March 19. Routes 510, 511, 512, 513 and 532 lost trips.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Since 1999, Sound Transit has contracted with Community Transit to operate its 500-series express routes. Community Transit staff estimated Sound Transit would pay out $19.4 million in reimbursements this year.

In turn, Community Transit contracts with First Transit, a private company, for most of its 400-series commuter and express routes into King County. That deal is worth $21.9 million this year in Community Transit’s budget.

The private company’s drivers have been hit by COVID-19, similar to the rest of Snohomish County and the state.

“The extreme rise in Omicron cases is affecting all industries, including transportation,” First Transit spokesperson Jay Brock said in an email.

First Transit does not require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, unlike Community Transit and Sound Transit. Brock did not respond to a question about the number of vaccinated employees.

A surge of 69 COVID-19 cases last month among Community Transit employees prompted temporary service cuts for 36 daily trips on other routes.

It came on the heels of the agency’s Dec. 31 deadline for full vaccination that caused 61 employees, including 29 drivers, to leave.

As of Feb. 10, Community Transit reported five coronavirus cases. Over 99% of employees were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Since Community Transit CEO Ric Ilgenfritz announced the vaccine requirement in October, the agency has hired 27 employees.

Only two were drivers, who must complete and graduate from 10 weeks of training that is paid and with benefits. Drivers make $23.47 an hour during training and $27.73 an hour after graduation.

Hiring a driver can take 12 to 16 weeks, from application to serving a route.

Community Transit offers overtime to drivers to fulfill service hours, but managers want to avoid burnout in employees, Ilgenfritz said during the board meeting Feb. 3.

The agency aims to expand service in the coming years. That will require more employees.

“We need to hire over 100 new coach operators to meet those growth targets,” Ilgenfritz said. “We’re starting that from a reduced base now.”

Interviews were scheduled with 13 driver applicants this week, spokesperson Martin Munguia said.

First Transit is hiring drivers, as well, with starting pay at $21.19 per hour for employees on Sound Transit routes. The company pays for training time, too, and offers a $2,500 bonus for new hires who already have a commercial driver’s license.

Transit operations continued throughout the pandemic as an essential operation. Drivers can’t work from home.

Some agencies, including Everett Transit, installed plastic barriers around fixed-route drivers. Community Transit has not.

Community Transit invested in new air filtration devices for buses, as well as masks and hand sanitizer.

Suspended Sound Transit express trips

Route 510 southbound from Everett Station at 4:49 and at 5:48 a.m.;

• Route 511 northbound from Northgate at 3:19 p.m.;

• Route 512 southbound from Everett Station at 8:58, 11:27 a.m., 1:37, and 3:31 p.m.; and northbound from Northgate at 9:59 a.m., 12:29, 1:09, 2:19 p.m. and 2:39 p.m.;

• Route 513 southbound from Seaway Transit Center at 6:42 and 7:30 a.m., and northbound from Northgate at 4:39 p.m.

• Route 532 northbound from Bellevue at 3:12, 4:31 and 5:11 p.m.

Ben Watanabe: bwatanabe@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3037; Twitter @benwatanabe.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Steven M. Falk / The Philadelphia Inquirer / Tribune News Service
James Taylor plays Sunday and Monday at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville.
A&E Calendar for May 22

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Members of Washington State patrol salute the casket of slain trooper Chris Gadd during a memorial cremony on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Opening statements begin in trial of man charged in crash of WSP trooper

Deputy prosecutor described to jurors what began as a routine patrol for Christopher Gadd — “until it wasn’t.”

Aaron Weinstock uses an x-ray machine toy inside the Imagine Children Museum on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Imagine Children’s Museum $250k grant reinstated following federal court order

The federal grant supports a program that brings free science lessons to children throughout rural Snohomish County.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mulls November property tax levy lid lift

The city is considering options to address its fiscal crisis, including a potential levy higher than originally budgeted.

A person walks up 20th Street Southeast to look at the damage that closed the road on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
WA delegation urges Trump to reconsider request for bomb cyclone aid

The Washington state congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.