On July 17 the Seattle City Council, acting as the Seattle Transportation Benefit District Governing Board, voted unanimously to place a measure on the November ballot that would preserve most bus service in the city of Seattle and on some intercity routes by means of a 0.1% sales tax increase and a $60 vehicle license fee.
The Transit Riders Union urges a YES vote on Seattle’s ballot measure to save transit. Thousands of Seattle and King County residents depend on Metro buses every day, and we cannot afford to lose our service.
At the same time, this is not a solution. The proposed measure pushes the burden of funding public transit further onto working and poor people, leaves transit riders in the lurch throughout the rest of King County, and contributes to the fragmentation of what should be a unified regional mass transit system.
We are deeply disappointed that the Mayor and City Councilmembers chose the regressive sales tax over two more progressive funding options that were available to them: an Employee Hours Tax on business and a Commercial Parking Fee increase, as proposed by Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata.
Even if the ballot measure passes in November, public transit in Seattle and King County will remain woefully underfunded. Fares are too high, service is not frequent or extensive enough, drivers’ schedules have been tightened to the point where they don’t have time to use the bathroom. We therefore call upon the Seattle City Council to also pass an Employee Hours Tax on business and a Commercial Parking Fee increase to generate additional progressive funding for public transit. This funding may be used to:
- Reverse the September 2014 service cuts or restore comparable service for those whose mobility has been reduced by the first round of cuts
- Contribute to the chronically underfunded Human Services Ticket Program
- Contribute to a buy-down of Metro’s new Low Income Reduced Fare from $1.50 to $1.00 or $1.25, as would have happened had King County’s Proposition 1 passed in April
- Roll back fare increases, making public transit more affordable and attractive for all
- Fix the schedules to improve drivers’ working conditions
- Increase, improve and modernize Night Owl Service
- Add new service
With all of the cuts that are coming, later this month — I am concerned that the para-transit
service, will become overwhelmed, by Metro Riders, who can qualify, but have LOST THEIR SERVICES — to use ACCESS.
THOSE of us already IN the para-transit system; already feel somewhat abused, by the SYSTEM, ITSELF.
I, personally, do NOT like the system; BUT being a monopoly, ACCESS MUST BE TOLERATED.