Yesterday, a coalition of transit advocates launched “Hop On Board!”, the official campaign urging Seattle voters to pass the renewal and expansion of the Seattle Transit Measure this November. Speakers at the event included Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, ATU 587 President Greg Woodfill, Nondrivers Alliance founder Anna Zivarts, Transit Riders Union General Manager Lam Ho, and Transportation Choices Coalition‘s Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter and Policy Director Katy Ricchiuto.
The Transportation Choices Coalition is leading local advocates pushing for expansion of the transit measure, which proposes to increase the current 0.15% sales tax for transit to 0.3%, the maximum allowed under recently adopted state law. If approved by voters, the measure would take effect in April 2027.
King County Metro uses an equity framework to distribute service across King County but cities have the ability to purchase additional service. Seattle has been buying additional service since 2014, which brought frequent buses to most of the city and dramatically increased the viability of living car-free.
The current Seattle Transit Measure funds over 7% of all bus trips currently running in Seattle, mainly boosting service along key corridors during the day and providing the majority of Metro’s Night Owl service in the city. The expanded STM would further boost service at night and on weekends, as well as more than doubling the number of free ORCA cards for those who need it and providing funding for several important accessibility programs. The measure also includes funding for capital funding for bus lanes.
At the event, speakers shared stories of how important transit is to their lives and how this measure would make public transit in Seattle more useful for more people. Mayor Wilson focused on the importance of late night bus service to help service workers get home at the end of a late shift without using a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, or making it possible for a family with two cars to only need one.
Councilmember Rinck shared stories of three-seat rides to Tumwater and the importance of frequent, reliable service, and also highlighted the expanded late night service provided by the measure. Greg Woodfill posited that although sales taxes are regressive, this measure’s taxes will go right back to serving the people who need it most, stating “every $1 spent on transit is $5 back in the community”. Anna Zivarts stressed the importantance of frequent and reliable service to those who cannot drive, and how the transit measure would bring more service to more communities. Zivarts put it simply: “transit is freedom”. Other speakers highlighted the proposed increase in free ORCA passes for low-income riders and the elderly, and the importance of pushing back against likely opposition to the measure.
If you are intersested in supporting the Hop On Board campaign, you can sign up to volunteer for upcoming events, or donate to the campaign.
Is some of the funding allowed to be used for capital improvements? … especially the kind that reduce the number of service hours needed to perform the same number of runs on a route?
Can some of the funding buy a few more streetcars so they can be frequent?
Can some of it accelerate Graham St Station?
I also hope the City will leverage it to push through route restructures that make sense.
And maybe, possibly, lower the monorail fares, with a stipulation that the City get some of the money back from increased fare revenue due to increased ridership.
As I read it yes the money can be used for capital improvements. And you can be sure the political pressure will be heavy to spend a wad of it on WSLE. Not the part ST pays for but all the changes and permits the City can be made to take responsibility for which could include a lot of utility work that quickly becomes very expensive. Dow will be laughing all the way to the bank.
The Transportation Levy has a bucket of cash for boosting Link expansion. STM capital funds are intended to be focused on bus improvements.
Yes, part of the measure is for capital improvements. Wilson said there would be more bus lanes around the city like the ones that just got installed on DennyWay. I don’t think it will be a lot of lanes, but some is better than none.
The city committed to funding its usual role in Link stations for Graham station; e.g, permitting, street planning and coordination. I don’t remember if that was in the STM or somewhere else.
I’m opposed to spending Seattle money for ST’s direct expenses. That’s mainly because WS/BLE has been changed so much worse since the vote, and we need to spend Seattle’s limited money on more effective near-term improvements, so I’ll be consistent and say it shouldn’t go to accelerating Graham station either. But the city should definitely do all the things it usually does for a Link station.
None of the other tactics have been mentioned.
“A few more streetcars”? There’s not that much money. And filling in bus frequency is more urgent.
Are currently eligible low income people being turned away because of lack of funding or do they plan to increase the maximum amount you can earn and still be eligible for a low income pass?
There’s no constraint now on anybody 65 or older getting a free pass. All you have to do is request one and provide proof of age (e.g. drivers license). You don’t even have to live in King County. So to increase passes for the elderly they would have to lower the minimum age. It’s already a bit of a crock since there is no need component attached to it; it’s just free money.
FWIW, there were ST Fare Enforcement officers on the Link car I was riding home Friday. One started at the back and the other at the front of the car. When they met in the middle they got off and presumably boarded the next train. I showed them my RRFP Senior card and that was that. They don’t ask for ID and if they do you can politely decline.
There were only two people I saw (back half of the car) that didn’t have a valid fare and it was standing room crowd. One was someone that had tapped their ORCA card boarding a Metro bus and didn’t bother to tap when transferring to the train. From other comments overheard I wasn’t the only one who had never been checked before; pretty it included virtually everyone else.
It’s confusing, to me. You tap your card when you enter the bus, but on the train, it’s beforehand. I frequently forget to tap before entering the train.
I’ve never been confronted about it, though.
You tap before you board. Train, Bus, Ferry, Streetcar, monorail,…What exactly is confusing about it?
Did the rider who probably had a valid transfer on their ORCA card get a warning about paying the wrong agency?
I don’t think anybody got an official warning that counts toward your “3 strikes”. They were asked to get off at the next station (DT Bellevue) which was their destination anyway. I think the fare checker wanted to issue an official warning but the rider declined to provide any additional ID.
It’s a toothless system that’s entirely innefective. Recently a report came out about the number of citations for fare evasion in metro. It was 8….so I’m wondering if link contributed to those 8 or if they have a similar amount. Basically you can just say no to identification and walk off. I’ve seen it happen multiple times. I’ve even tested it myself when they are on the entrance of Westlake: I tapped by one of the readers near the elevator but then walked away towards the opposite end of the station and bypasses the meter. The fare officer said something to me and I told him: “I already tapped”. I was expecting ask me to confirm on his device which is what, 5 seconds? no, instead I just walked pass and he stood motionless. What a ridiculous system. Getting paid to literally do nothing.
The speakers said Seattle Housing Authority residents and other low-income program members would be eligible.
Seniors get a reduced fare/pass, not a free one. If all seniors can get a free pass, I should tell my friend in north Lynnwood. I think her pass is based on a dollar a trip or so.
The $1 fare for RRFP holders (with a qualifying disability or 65+) is nearly universal within the PugetPass family, excepting the monorail ($2), King County water taxis ($2.50 to West Seattle and $3 to Vashon) and Everett Transit (50 cents).
The monorail is the only service within the PugetPass family charging something other than $1 ($2) for the ORCA Lift (low income) fare. That’s why I would be interested in the City considering buying down the monorail fares for those categories. There are probably Seattle Center principles being ignored in charging these high fares.
The Subsidized Annual Pass is honored for free rides by all PugetPass services except Pierce Transit.
All agencies in the ORCA Pod honor the state’s program making transit free for youth under 19. The monorail requires a youth ORCA card to get the free fare.
ST will soon have to come up with a plan for how youth get through fare gates. I expect ST will have to hire a station agent at each gated entrance.
What do you mean come up with a plan? Any youth can get a card. I got my daughter one. Just submitted the requested information and arrived by mail. It doesn’t cost anything. I don’t see why the taxpayers need to foot the bill for staff because parents can’t follow simple instructions. People have literally years to prepare so this changes aren’t going to surprise anyone. I would be onboard with staff in stations however for enforcement operations like in Vancouver where you try and hop over a gate in front of transit police and see what happens :) That’s the kind of system I wish we get. Then the officer can check ages or make a determination reminding parents to be parents and get the damn pass
You get your pass (1st one) for free but yes the fare is $1. I didn’t know about the benefit on the Monorail and water taxis. I’ll definitely have to plan on taking the water taxi to Vashon next year for the Motorcycle TT!
Also, I tested one day if my pass would cap fare at $2 for the day. It doesn’t. So if you really care about saving a buck you’d have to buy a paper day ticket at the TVM. What a waste. I believe your fare is capped to the day rate if you pay by tapping a credit card. But of course you can’t do that and get a Senior reduced rate. But I think it works for people paying regular fare and figures out Link/bus transfers. But who knows with the convoluted system we have.
ORCA day passes are available.
The regular day pass costs $6, and covers $3 of fare on each ride.
RRFP and ORCA LIFT day passes cost $2 and cover $1 of fare on each ride.
You can load a digital day pass onto your senior card either on the app, website, or vending machine.
There is no fare capping on ORCA at all, and the orca board are the ones who decide that, not sound transit
It would be great if they (KCM/Seattle gov) could share a list of which routes would be upgraded and by how much. I would hope internally they already have that info
There’s a noncommittal map on the STM page:
https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/transit-program/seattle-transit-measure/renewal
Yeah, the key word here is “noncommittal”; meaning they can do what ever the hell they want. Color me pragmatic but this sounds a lot like “free money” a political boss like Emperor Constantine will push toward WSLE.
No, they can’t (and won’t) just do whatever they want. The money isn’t going into building a new jail. It will go into transit and most of it will go into additional bus service (like every other time they passed a measure like this). There is money for Sound Transit but that will go towards Graham Street.
Locking in a specific set of changes for six years would lose any flexibility in case needs change, higher priorities get identified, negotiations between SDOT and Metro lead to better route choices, or Metro has another driver shortage.
SDOT has no “Emperor Constantine” type character, and none of the routes are like West Seattle Link.
There’s also the precedent of the current STM choices.
It would be great if they (KCM/Seattle gov) could share a list of which routes would be upgraded and by how much.
It doesn’t work that way. After the levy a citizen’s committee sits down and looks at what routes can use more money. They then put money into certain routes. A lot depends on what Metro is funding as well as where they feel the money can do the most good.
We should welcome careful analysis by SDOT and Metro before choosing the service improvements; there are many good choices.
It may pass but I can never get behind regressive taxation which punishes the poor with the excuse of helping the poor. This is the easy way because the Mayor and to some degree the council can’t govern in a way that increases the tax base or that it can improve levels of service without more regressive taxation. This is more of the same as we literally choochoo like the train to a 15% sales tax rate which at this point I’ve just accepted it will happen because politicians can’t govern.