Click here to Tip the Transit Fairy!

If you saw a poster with the words “The Transit Fairy Was Here,” your bus stop got some care from a one-of-a-kind Seattle transit rider.

Founding TRU member Pauline Van Senus was profiled in The Seattle Times for her volunteer efforts to beautify our transit system during the pandemic:

“My goal is to make bus stops comfortable for everybody,” she said. “Seattle is my hometown. I want it to be beautiful.”

The appearance and condition of transit stops matter to Van Senus, who calls herself the “Transit Fairy” and rides a bus everywhere she goes. It takes her about 90 minutes by Metro to get from her home in White Center to South Lake Union, where she often goes to pick up trash. She also cleans bus stops in her neighborhood around Southwest Roxbury Street and the Westwood Village shopping center.

A few people asked how they could ‘tip’ Pauline or support her efforts, so we set up a GoFundMe. Part of the reason Pauline has a lot of time to clean bus stops right now is that her normal paid work, house cleaning and gardening jobs, has mostly dried up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She appreciates a little thank-you boost from the community!

Pauline is also accepting suggestions of bus stops that need some loving care & attention. If you have an idea, email it to contact@transitriders.org and we will pass it along to Pauline.