126 Metro buses out of service because of steering issue

King County Metro removed 126 buses from service after identifying a steering system issue, reducing weekday trips by 10%.

King County Metro, which has a fleet of about 1,500 buses, is communicating with bus manufacturer New Flyer to understand the issue, which has not led to any incidents or injuries, according to the agency.

“There is not yet a timeline for when the work will be completed and supply chain challenges may introduce delays,” King County Metro said in a news release Tuesday.

Concerns were first raised when two drivers noticed “loose steering” during regular operations around a month ago and again on Nov. 28, said King County Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer. That prompted a fleetwide check, which identified 126 buses with the issue.

About 19 routes are affected by the reduction. The exact impact may change from day to day, said Switzer. A small number of trips may run on routes that are fully suspended and other routes may see cancellations due to lack of available buses, he said.

A spokesperson for New Flyer of America said Thursday the company is working closely with Metro to identify the cause of the issue. The spokesperson said the impacted steering column is a “unique customer specific component,” used on a small number of vehicles manufactured by the company, and the potential issue does not affect other King County buses.

King County Metro spokesperson Al Sanders said the buses pulled from service were added to the fleet between 2015 and 2018, and encompass a range of models. The buses were pulled from service midday Tuesday, he said.

“We want to emphasize all of the coaches on the road have been inspected and confirmed safe,” he said.

For an updated list of suspended routes, visit st.news/busroutes.

Here are some other tools King County Metro recommends to plan trips:

• Use “Text for Departure” by texting your bus stop number to 62550. You should receive a text with the next departure times and whether trips have been canceled.
• Sign up for transit alerts through email or text at: kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/alerts-updates/signup.aspx.
• Follow @kcmetroalerts on Twitter for route alerts, cancellations and delays and @KingCountyMetro for general information.
• Use map apps like Google Maps or One Bus Away or visit TripPlanner.kingcounty.gov.
• Call Metro’s customer service office at 206-553-3000 on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.