We just learned that signature-gathering for Initiative 118 has been suspended, and the Mayor is expected to announce a ballot measure to save Metro service this Tuesday, May 13. Thank you to everyone who has been out collecting signatures. You can read more here: https://www.keepseattlemoving.com/
It’s Not Over Yet! TRU Endorses Initiative 118
Prop 1 went down hard, despite the heroic efforts of TRU members and volunteers and many other organizations and individuals. But we’re not giving up the fight! At our May Membership Meeting, TRU voted to endorse Initiative 118, which would at least save much of Seattle’s bus service by raising property taxes by $0.22 per $1,000 of assessed value. And while TRU members and volunteers will be on the front lines of this effort, we’ll also be working to plan our strategy for the November elections and next session in Olympia.
We have only until June 4 to gather over 20,000 valid signatures. Want to volunteer with us? Email contact@transitriders.org or leave a message at 206-651-4282. You can also stop by the Labor Temple, Hall 6 on Monday, May 12 between 6 and 8 pm to pick up petition sheets and other materials. You can also print petition sheets here. It is important that TRU can keep in contact with the riders we talk to, so please also print these TRU contact sheets and encourage petition signers to sign up for our email or phone lists.
It’s Earth Day! Remember to Vote!
If for some reason you haven’t gotten your ballot in the mail, you can vote in person at Union Station up until 8 pm tonight.
Flyer in Spanish
For printing – or contact us if you’d like some printed.
What do 17% cuts mean?
This infographic from Sightline Institute’s blog helps to visualize it:
Wednesday, April 2: Rally for Public Transit
Come rally at Westlake Park from 12:00 to 2:00 on Wednesday, April 2, the day ballots are mailed! Listen to speakers, and stop by TRU’s table to pick up flyers and posters, a button or a Save Our Metro shirt.
Expect your ballot by April 5!
Tired of Traffic? Vote YES on Prop 1!
Do your car-driving friends and relatives need some persuasion to vote for public transit? Here’s an adorable video made by Metro drivers Mark LaFalce and Linda Anderson. Please share far and wide!
Campaign Kickoff Event: Monday, March 17
Come on out and help the Transit Riders Union get this campaign rolling! Are you a Metro rider? Then we need YOU to pitch in if we’re going to succeed in saving our bus service and winning an affordable low income fare. Join us at our kickoff event next Monday, where you can sign up to volunteer with our street teams, take home a stack of flyers and posters, and get a button and a shirt. There will be refreshments, and we’ll keep it brief so that we can go out and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day afterwards.
Save Our Metro Campaign Kickoff
Monday, March 17, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Labor Temple, Hall #8
2800 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Take Action!
Take action to stop bus cuts and win a $1.25 reduced fare for all low income riders!
SAVE OUR METRO! Vote by April 22
The following statement was approved at TRU’s March Membership Meeting. To get involved in the campaign to save bus service and win a more affordable reduced fare, email contact@transitriders.org and check out saveourmetro.org.
The Transit Riders Union strongly urges all transit riders and all voters in King County to VOTE in the April 22, 2014 special election and to APPROVE Proposition 1, the ballot measure regarding transportation funding.
Passage of this ballot measure will save our Metro bus service from devastating cuts. It will also make public transit more affordable, by lowering the new low income reduced fare from $1.50 to $1.25 for two years.
We urge approval of Proposition 1 despite our strong objections to the taxes proposed.A $60 Vehicle License Fee and a 0.1% sales tax increase are regressive taxes that will further burden the working and poor people of King County. Neither do these taxes constitute a stable or sufficient long-term funding solution for Metro. Nonetheless we strongly urge a YES vote for the following reasons:
- First, due to irresponsible neglect on the part of the Washington State Legislature, King County has no other realistic option for saving bus service.
- Second, the King County Council chose to include a $20 rebate of the Vehicle License Fee for low income car-owners, making this tax somewhat less regressive.
- Third, the immediate alternative to Proposition 1 is massive cuts to our Metro bus service that will increase congestion, harm the environment, and unacceptably lower the quality of life of working and poor transit riders throughout King County.
The Transit Riders Union therefore calls upon the transit riders and voters of King County to vote in favor of Proposition 1, and to join the Transit Riders Union and our allies in the long-term battle for sustainable, progressive funding for affordable mass public transit.