Swift bus security raises cause for concern

Regarding the Jan. 15 letter regarding the Swift buses, I also noticed a decline in fare enforcement and security in general since the pandemic began, with more people apparently hopping on and off without paying and loitering around stations with no intention of using the bus. On Jan. 7, someone left an approximately 4-inch knife when they exited the westbound Green Line station at Highway 99 and Airport Road; the first time I’ve seen a deadly weapon in my 13 years of using public transportation in mostly West Coast cities (I reported it to the driver).

This follows the discovery of a much longer dagger stuck in the ground above the northbound Blue Line stop at the same intersection in the last couple years (I removed it and put it in the garbage without reporting it). And though a more minor annoyance, the no-smoking signs at Swift stations are often treated as a joke. Given this increasing air of lawlessness, hooliganism and potential violence, I’ve decided to avoid the Swift system when possible and use slower buses where every rider has to pass muster with the driver.

Jack Wright

Everett