James Bible

The first project of the Transit Riders Union is a survey of Metro bus riders. This survey is a two-way conversation: we’re asking riders to share with us their ideas about how public transit can be improved, and we’re sharing some information too. The responses we collect will help us to figure out what issues are most important to riders, and what the TRU should be fighting for in the future.

After a lot of planning and a few trial runs, the survey is ready to go!! And now we need your help. The more responses we can collect, the better. Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Volunteer with our street team. We have three regular surveying sessions every week in downtown Seattle: Tuesdays at 5pm, Thursdays at noon, and Saturdays at 2pm. We’ll meet on the second floor of the City Center Building at 5th and Pike, at the seating area overlooking Pike at the top of the escalator. At least one TRU organizer will be there a quarter hour before the appointed starting time, sporting a bright gold shirt. We’ll give you the run-down on what the survey is all about, and then we’ll hit the bus stops as a group – you can observe someone else conducting the survey until you feel comfortable doing it yourself.

2. Conduct the survey on your own, on the bus and at your bus stops. You can find printable PDFs of our survey questions and response charts here. Contact Katie, the survey project coordinator, at katie@transitriders.org, to arrange data collection.

3. Take our survey on-line! You can find it on the survey page in the projects section.

4. Help us analyze the results of the survey, and to plan and develop future surveys – including one for bus drivers. If you’re interested, email Katie at katie@transitriders.org.

by Katie Wilson

It costs over half a billion dollars to keep the King County Metro bus system running for a full year. Where does all this money come from?

Bus fares make up a smaller portion of Metro’s budget than you might think – less than 25%. Revenue from advertising and other miscellaneous sources contributes another 15%. But the most important source of funding by far is sales tax, which accounts for over 60% of Metro’s operating budget. In King County a sales tax of 0.9% goes directly to Metro – that’s just about a penny on every dollar you spend. So you are paying for the bus not only when you pay your fare, but every time you buy a pair of shoes or a bar of soap.[ref]From King County’s web site: “King County residents currently pay a 9.5 percent sales tax. The state keeps 6.5 percent, 1.8 percent goes to Metro Transit and Sound Transit, 0.1 percent is set aside for mental health services and substance abuse treatment, and the remaining 1.1 percent is split between cities and the County.”  More detailed information on Metro’s operating budget and capital funding can be found on their website.[/ref]

It makes sense that a social good, like public transit, should be funded through taxation. But what kind of taxation? Who is bearing the brunt of the cost? This makes a big difference. Continue reading →

Hello Transit Riders,

Last month, Rodney Rutherford, who generously granted the previous transitriders.org website to the new Seattle Transit Riders Union, sent out a questionnaire to electoral candidates. All candidates for legislative and executive positions in King County (and all cities therein) were asked to respond to questions affecting transit riders. Their responses are posted at https://go.transitriders.org/election2011. The elections are coming up on November 8th, so if you want to know the candidates’ positions on transit issues, here’s your chance to find out!

Welcome, transit riders of Seattle and the Puget Sound! This is the website of the newly-formed Transit Riders Union.

The idea of starting a Transit Riders Union grew out of the fight against bus service cuts earlier this year. King County Metro’s main source of revenue – sales tax – has taken a sharp dive since the recession began, and by spring 2011 Metro was facing the prospect of 17% cuts. Dozens of bus routes were slated to be eliminated. Some effective propaganda by Metro, combined with the organizing efforts of a wide variety of community groups, helped to raise a huge public outcry. Thousands of people attended public hearings and signed petitions, demanding that this vital public service be preserved.

But were the bus riders of King County really standing up, were they really being heard? Continue reading →