The Transit Riders Union’s campaigns, policy strategy, and community outreach are planned and executed through our member-led standing committees. Whether you want to talk to transit riders at bus stops, draft progressive housing policy, make our union fully accessible, or build out our digital tools, there is a place for you in the fight.
Explore our standing committees below to find where you want to plug in!
🚌 Bus and Transit Service (BATS)
The engine of our transit advocacy.
BATS is TRU’s flagship transit committee, fighting for a reliable, frequent, and fully funded public transportation system. From organizing riders on high-frequency bus corridors to fighting the county’s transit fiscal cliff and pushing for progressive funding mechanisms, BATS is where we build collective rider power.
- What We Do: Organize bus riders, analyze transit service plans, coordinate direct actions, and lobby regional transit boards for service expansions.
📣 Outreach Committee
The frontlines of our union base-building.
Movement power starts with real human relationships. The Outreach Committee is responsible for connecting with community members across King County, tabling at transit hubs and community events, and making sure every new TRU member gets a warm 1-on-1 welcome into our union family.
- What We Do: Host stop-outreach events, run community tabling, and conduct 1-on-1 onboarding conversations with new members.
♿ Disability and Access Committee
Fighting for total transit equity and universal access.
Public transit is a fundamental human right, but it must be fully accessible to every human being [source: 5, 6]. Led by our blind, visually impaired, neurodivergent, and disabled members, this committee holds regional transit agencies accountable while ensuring that TRU’s own meetings, actions, and spaces are fully accessible to all.
- What We Do: Advocate for accessible transit infrastructure, audit stop announcements and physical access, and facilitate accommodations across all TRU operations.
💻 Technology Committee
Building the digital infrastructure for grassroots power.
A strong union needs secure, independent, and effective digital tools. The Tech Committee maintains TRU’s website, builds custom tools for member management and campaign outreach, and keeps our online platforms secure so our organizers can focus on building power.
- What We Do: Manage TRU’s web infrastructure, support data management, and build digital toolkits for organizing.
✊ Ready to Step Up?
Not sure which committee is the right fit yet? That’s okay! Every TRU member is welcome to attend any committee meeting or start by attending our monthly Member Meetings.