King County Metro makes progress returning buses with fixed steering issues to service
King County Metro has returned nearly two-thirds of buses to service that were pulled in December to replace their steering column.
Two of the agency’s bus operators reported loose steering on vehicles late last year. King County Metro identified 126 buses with steering issues, which resulted in those vehicles being pulled from service on Dec. 6. Later in the month, a recall was issued for certain 35-foot, 40-foot and 60-foot New Flyer of America, Inc., transit buses due to a loose steering shaft that could cause a loss of steering. King County Metro expanded its review to all New Flyer buses in its fleet and determined 208 required steering column replacements.
The agency credits guidance and replacement parts provided by New Flyer, as well as its vehicle maintenance staff’s efforts with returning 147 of the pulled buses to service as of Jan. 12. There are still 61 waiting repairs.
“While we continue to operate about 94 percent of our scheduled service, some bus routes and trips remain temporarily suspended due to limited fleet and operator availability at some of our bases,” the agency noted in a blog post. “We expect that service levels will continue to improve as we repair our fleet and safely return more coaches to the road.”
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
