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Metro honors bus driver Shawn Yim in Seattle memorial procession

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Updated  January 10, 2025 11:28am PST
Transportation
FOX 13 Seattle

Thousands honor Seattle Metro bus driver Shawn Yim

Thousands of community members showed up to honor the life of a Seattle bus driver that was murdered while working last month.

SEATTLE - King County Metro, along with community members and regional transit agencies gathered on Jan. 10 to remember Shawn Yim, a Metro bus driver who was tragically murdered in December while on duty.

The commemoration began with a mid-morning procession of buses and transit vehicles through downtown Seattle to Yim's memorial service. In light of this, Metro is telling riders and drivers to plan ahead since several dozen buses and transit vehicles will be participating in the procession.

Photo of Shawn Yim seattle bus driver murdered in December. King County Metro, along with community members and regional transit agencies, will gather Friday, Jan. 10, to remember Shawn Yim, a bus driver who was tragically murdered in the line of duty in December. The commemoration will begin with a procession of buses and transit vehicles through downtown Seattle at 10 a.m., then there will be a memorial event at 11 a.m. at Lumen Field Event Center (WAMU Theater). King County Metro is informing the community that several dozen buses and transit vehicles will be participating in the procession. Keep reading to learn how the procession and memorial may impact Metro bus riders and Seattle traffic. King County Metro is warning anyone who rides its buses to expect significant disruptions, cancelations and delays on Friday, Jan. 10, because many Metro staff will be attending the procession and memorial. Metro is encouraging riders to sign up for transit alerts specific to their routes, however, real-time trip planning tools may not be fully accurate during this time. Riders are advised to plan ahead, allow extra time for travel and consider alternate transportation options. While bus service will be impacted, water taxi routes and Sound Transit Link 1 and 2 Line services are expected to run as scheduled. King County Metro’s customer service call center and other services will be temporarily short-staffed, since many employees will be attending the memorial. Pass sales offices will remain open. Here’s the Shawn Yim memorial procession route through Seattle According to King County Metro, several dozen buses will participate in a memorial procession beginning in the SODO area at 10 a.m. The procession will travel north on Fourth Avenue through Downtown Seattle to Broad Street, Fifth Avenue North, Mercer Street, Sixth Avenue North and then south through the SR-99 tunnel to Lumen Field. Personal vehicles will not be part of the procession, and cross-street traffic will be briefly stopped as it moves through. The public is advised to plan for extra travel time due to temporary traffic delays. When does the memorial service for Shawn Yim begin in Seattle? The memorial service for Shawn Yim, the King County Metro bus driver who was stabbed to death by a passenger, is planned to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10 at Lumen Field’s WAMU Theater. King County Metro says the doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Lumen Field is located at 800 Occidental Avenue South in Seattle, Washington. Is King County Metro doing anything to improve safety? The agency says safety is and continues to be its top priority. Metro has more than doubled the number of bus security officers from 80 to 170, and they are hiring and recruiting more officers. Additionally, King County Metro is redesigning its buses to protect its bus drivers. The agency says it is assessing and improving the operator partitions that were installed on buses to protect drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two buses are testing out different cockpit-style protypes The agency has also placed an order for four test buses that feature European-style operator compartment designs, which are similar to those on a light rail train, streetcar or subway.

King County Metro is holding a procession and memorial for Shawn Yim, a bus driver who was tragically killed in Seattle in December. (King County Metro)

Keep reading for everything to know about the procession and the expected bus delays and cancelations on Friday.

Seattle bus cancelations and delays expected on Jan. 10

Metro is warning anyone who rides its buses to expect significant disruptions, cancelations and delays on Friday because many of its staff will be attending the procession and memorial. 

Metro is encouraging riders to sign up for transit alerts specific to their routes. However, real-time trip planning tools may not be fully accurate during this time.

Riders are also advised to plan ahead, allow extra time for travel and consider alternate transportation options. While bus service will be impacted, water taxi routes and Sound Transit Link 1 and 2 Line services are expected to run as scheduled. 

Metro’s customer service call center and other services will also be temporarily short-staffed, since many employees will be attending the memorial as well. Pass sales offices will remain open.

The memorial procession route through downtown Seattle on Jan. 10

The memorial procession began Seattle's SODO neighborhood at 10 a.m.

The procession traveled north on Fourth Avenue through downtown Seattle to Broad Street. It continued on Fifth Avenue North, Mercer Street, Sixth Avenue North and then south through the SR-99 tunnel to Lumen Field.

According to King County Metro, several dozen buses will participate in a memorial procession beginning in the SODO area at 10 a.m. The procession will travel north on Fourth Avenue through Downtown Seattle to Broad Street, Fifth Avenue North, Mercer Street, Sixth Avenue North and then south through the SR-99 tunnel to Lumen Field. Personal vehicles will not be part of the procession, and cross-street traffic will be briefly stopped as it moves through. The public is advised to plan for extra travel time due to temporary traffic delays.

Personal vehicles will not be part of the procession, and cross-street traffic will be briefly stopped as it moves through. The public was advised to plan for extra travel time due to temporary traffic delays.

When does the memorial service for Shawn Yim begin on Jan. 10?

The memorial service for Yim was scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Where is the memorial service for Shawn Yim taking place on Jan. 10?

The memorial service was at Lumen Field Event Center (also known as WAMU Theater). Lumen Field is located at 800 Occidental Ave. S.

Is King County Metro doing anything to improve safety?

The agency says safety is and continues to be its top priority. Metro has more than doubled the number of bus security officers from 80 to 170, and is hiring and recruiting more officers.

Additionally, Metro is redesigning its buses to protect its bus drivers. The agency says it is assessing and improving the operator partitions that were installed on buses to protect drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two buses are currently testing different cockpit-style prototypes. 

The agency has also placed an order for four test buses that feature European-style operator compartment designs, which are similar to those on a light rail train, streetcar or subway.

To learn more about the procession and memorial service, visit King County Metro's website. 

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