Trust Riders, Fund Transit!

October 21, 2020

On Oct. 6, the Transit Riders Union launched our Seattle Safe Transit Project as part of a TRUST national day of action, calling on our elected leaders from federal to local to step it up and #TrustRidersFundTransit! Read all about it in the South Seattle Emerald.

Here in Seattle, from now through election day our team will be out at the bus stops and on the buses, handing out bags containing goodies including a mask, hand sanitizer, a snack, some TRU schwag, and voter information about Seattle Prop 1. Check out this article in The Seattle Times that features the project, and don’t forget to VOTE Yes for Transit!

On Oct. 15, we got the excellent news that the state Supreme Court ruled Tim Eyman’s Initiative 976 unconstitutional! Here’s our statement:

A Win for Transit Riders, Disability Community, Clean Air and Less Congestion

State Supreme Court Rules for the People in Striking Down I-976; Communities Now Have Green Light to Move Ahead with Transportation Improvements and Investments

Statements from Transit Riders Union, Climate Solutions and Washington ADAPT, three interveners in the case against I-976 that would have defunded transportation projects across Washington State:

“The court’s decision to overturn Eyman’s I-976 is a win for transit riders and for everyone in Washington state who benefits from a functional transportation system— and that’s all of us,” said Katie Wilson, general secretary of the Transit Riders Union. “It’s also a win for democracy, affirming the rights of voters in cities and transportation districts around the state to make their own decisions about how to fund transportation improvements and public transit. Now it’s time to get to work. Fully funding an equitable, sustainable transportation system will be essential to our state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 recession.”

“Overturning I-976 is a win for anyone who rides transit and wants safer streets, hates potholes and congestion, and wants clean air and a healthy climate,” stated Vlad Gutman-Britten, Washington State Director for Climate Solutions. “The Washington Supreme Court today restored voter-approved transit initiatives. Now that this sorry saga is behind us, it’s time to focus on investing in the sustainable, affordable, equitable transportation system Washington needs.”

“The Washington State disability community will benefit from the I-976 decision if these funds go to more accessible public transit services,” said Janine Bertram of Washington ADAPT. “I-976 would have left disabled transit riders around the state stranded. 30 years after ADA was signed, we still have inadequate service and dysfunctional elevators. It’s long past time to make our transportation system accessible to all.”

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