UPDATE: Monday, May 2nd Friday, April 29th is the last date for public comment on ST3, the 25-year, $50 billion light rail expansion package that will be heading to the ballot this November. Click the image at the left to visit the ST3 website, where you can read about the package, take a survey, and find details of public meetings.

TRU is submitting a letter (you can read a draft here) urging Sound Transit to make the following improvements to the ST3 proposal:

• Use their progressive Employer Tax authority to raise an additional $1-2 billion
• Speed up the timeline for an infill station at Graham St.
• Add funding for a station at 130th St.
• Prioritize affordable housing and equitable Transit-Oriented Development near stations and on Sound Transit land

Transit Riders partake in a community meal at Westlake Park before heading to the train.

On April 16th, over a hundred transit riders rallied and rode the light rail in celebration of winning our campaign against a two-tier transit system! The day before the event, Metro and Sound Transit announced their short-term fix that will allow very low-income and no-income riders who depend on tickets from social service organizations to ride the light rail:

Starting in June, social service organizations will be able to purchase these “combo-tickets” to distribute to very low-income and homeless riders. Until then, organizations that purchase light rail passes will receive bus tickets for free.

Thank you to everyone who signed our petition and helped us to win this campaign! TRU will continue to push for more tickets to be available to organizations at a lower cost, and for monthly ORCA passes that are affordable and accessible for very low-income and no-income riders. Join us – together we can win!

Starting mid-June, social service organizations will be able to distribute these new “combo-tickets” so that riders who rely on tickets can ride the light rail as well as buses.

Saturday, April 16th @ Westlake Park
3:00 PM Community Meal
3:30 PM Rally
4:00 PM Ride the Rail!

** UPDATE ** Metro and Sound Transit have announced their short-term fix! They have also provided us with light rail day passes for our event on Saturday. Join us at Westlake to celebrate! 

Thousands of riders in King County rely on bus tickets from social service agencies. But, these tickets aren’t accepted on Link Light Rail. Especially since the March 26th bus service restructure, these riders are being left with a second-class transit system.

In 2015 the ORCA LIFT program that TRU and others championed brought welcome relief from high fares for low-income riders who can afford $1.50 per ride, or $54 for a monthly pass. But for riders with very low or no income, this is still unaffordable. And it’s these people who are most reliant on public transit – to get to work and job interviews, to school, to medical appointments, and to access basic necessities like shelter and food.

In January, the Transit Riders Union and the Our City Coalition called upon Sound Transit and Metro to find a solution that doesn’t create a two-tier transit system and is affordable for all. Join us on April 16th for a community meal, rally and direct action to turn up the ????HEAT!????

UPDATE: Since we announced this action, Metro and Sound Transit have responded to say that they are working on a solution. Depending on what has been accomplished by April 16th, our Action may become a Celebration… come find out!

Welcome to the new Transit Riders Union website!  The old site served us well for the past 4 years, but as TRU has grown so have our electronic needs, and so we must discharge our old friend from duty.

Please excuse us while we finish updating some of the content.  And if you find any broken links, or otherwise have any suggestions, just send an e-mail to our volunteer webmaster scott@transitriders.org.

Homeless and very low-income transit riders depend on bus tickets from social service agencies for basic mobility. Riders use these tickets to travel to work, housing, shelter, medical appointments, and essential services.

These tickets aren’t accepted on Link Light Rail or Sound Transit Buses.

On March 26th, King County Metro is restructuring bus service in NE Seattle to integrate with the newly extended Link Light Rail line. That means thousands of riders who depend on the tickets will be left with a second-class transit system, or in danger of penalties for fare evasion.

Please sign our petition below, and join us on Saturday, April 16th, 3:00 PM at Westlake Park for a free community meal, demonstration and action to bring attention to this issue.

Our region’s need for transportation infrastructure and transit service is far from satisfied. Even in Seattle, Prop 1 and Move Seattle notwithstanding, riders continue to struggle with overcrowded buses, scant late-night service, and crumbling or nonexistent sidewalks. Now the global economy appears to be sliding toward a revenue-shrinking recession. So, when our state legislature considers a progressive funding option for transportation, we should sit up and take notice.

On Thursday, February 18, the House Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 2186, which would grant local authority for a Non-Residential Parking Tax (NRPT)… please come down to register your support: 3:30 pm in House Hearing Room B in the John L. O’Brien Building.

Read more on the Seattle Transit Blog

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY

TRU wants to hear from you. How do you use the public transit system? What could be changed to improve your riding experience and your quality of life? What transit issues do you care about most, and what campaigns do you think TRU should focus on this year? Our 2016 Transit Rider Survey will probably take you 15 to 30 minutes to fill out, depending on how detailed you are with your answers. Thanks for taking the time to tell us what you think!

Saturday, February 6
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Hillman City Collaboratory, 5623 Rainier Ave S. (Route 7 bus)
Optional RSVP on Facebook

You’re invited to a community viewing of The Long Walk Home! This 1990 film depicts two women, black and white, in 1955 Montgomery Alabama, who must decide what to do in response to the famous bus boycott. Doors open at 6:00, the movie starts at 6:30. There will be food! Bring something to share if you’d like. The event is family-friendly and free, though we welcome donations to help cover costs. You can RSVP on Facebook here, and please invite your friends!

*Update* The Seattle Transit Map is printed! Read more and find out how to get one here.

Check out this draft of a fantastic new Seattle Transit Map created by Oran Viriyinci! TRU is collecting feedback on the design so that the map can be improved and printed after the March 2016 service changes. Please submit your comments and suggestions here. If you would like a paper copy to study and comment on, email us at contact@transitriders.org and we may be able to get one to you. (Click on the image to get to the full map.)

The Transit Riders Union is thrilled to announce a big victory in our ongoing Affordable Transit Campaign. The budget approved by the Seattle City Council on November 23 included $1 million to fund transit passes for low-income high school and middle school students. Thank you so much to everyone who worked on this campaign, to the more than 1,000 people who signed our petition, and especially to the courageous students at Rainier Beach High School students who organized a march to City Hall in July and an amazing Town Hall forum last month.

But we’re not done yet. We believe that all youth in Seattle and King County should have year-round access to public transit. Enabling youth to travel freely to school, activities, and jobs will help to close the opportunity gap, break the school-to-prison pipeline, and combat climate change by increasing public transit use. We can win this, but it will require a strong and united community effort to secure cooperation between the city, the county and the school district to get it done. We are seeking students, parents, teachers and community supporters to help us move this project forward. If you are interested, please email us at contact@transitriders.org.

Thank you, everyone who joined us at the Rally to Make Seattle Affordable for All! Here are a few photos (thanks Garet Munger!) and videos of some of the speeches (thanks Elliot Stoller!):

Tenant and housing activist Sahro Farah speaks!

Continue reading →

Monday, October 19
5:30 – 7:00 PM
City Hall Plaza, 600 4th Ave.

Join us at a rally to bring some urgency and purpose to City Hall! Seattle faces an unprecedented crisis of affordability. Rents are rising out of control, tents are pitched on every patch of grass, and working and low-income residents of our city are treading water if not drowning.

Right now, the Seattle City Council is making budget decisions that will affect us all. Voters are preparing to elect a new city council. What happens this fall could shape our city for years to come. Continue reading →

The Transit Riders Union has endorsed candidates in five of the nine races for Seattle City Council. Here are our endorsements! And you’re invited to our kickoff party on Monday, September 28th!

The short version:

Seattle District 1: Lisa Herbold
Seattle District 3: Kshama Sawant
Seattle District 4: Michael Maddux
Seattle District 6: Mike O’Brien
Seattle Citywide Position 8: Jon Grant
Transportation Levy to Move Seattle: YES

The long version:

This fall, all nine seats on the Seattle City Council are up for election. With the debut of Seattle’s new district system, everyone will get to vote for three councilmembers: one to represent their district (1 through 7), and two to fill the city-wide positions (8 and 9).

We have a chance to elect a kick-ass city council this fall – the most progressive, diverse, responsive city council Seattle has ever seen, in fact. But the stakes are high. Continue reading →

Metro Fare is a weekly comic based on local bus stories. Got a funny Metro experience you’d like to share? Visit metrofarecomic.com to send it in for a ‘toon up.’

This fall, TRU is campaigning to elect the most progressive city council Seattle has ever seen! We’ve endorsed candidates who we believe will represent us and deliver on issues such as better public transit, affordable housing, police accountability and ending homelessness – rather than acting in the interests of big money. We’re also encouraging a YES vote on the Move Seattle levy. You’re invited to our kick-off party! Come meet & hear from the candidates, talk about the upcoming elections, and sign up to volunteer with TRU if you like. And, there will be cookies! RSVP not necessary, but appreciated – scroll down and fill out the form to let us know you’re coming.

TRU Fall Election Campaign Party
Monday, September 28
7:00 – 10:00 PM
Owl & Thistle Pub
808 Post Ave., Seattle 98104
(Between Marion St. & Columbia St., one block west of 1st Ave, near Pioneer Square)

The latest issue of the Transit Reader, TRU’s official newsletter, is out! Can you distribute copies on your buses or leave some at your neighborhood coffee shops or library branch? Email us at contact@transitriders.org or leave a message at 206-651-4282 and we’ll figure out how to get you some copies.

What a crowd! Filling the steps of City Hall.

On July 31, public school students from Rainier Beach High School and other schools in Seattle marched from SPS Headquarters to City Hall to draw attention to the transportation challenges they face and to call for free ORCA passes for all public school students.

Beginning from SPS Headquarters in SODO, the march headed towards downtown.

Currently, only high school students who live more than 2.5 miles from their school are eligible for a free ORCA pass subsidized by the school district. The distance cut-off for middle schoolers is 2.0 miles. Not only is five or more miles (the distance is measured “as the crow flies”) a long way to walk to and from school, often there is no safe route to walk, due to dangerous traffic or neighborhoods.

It’s illegal to not go to school, why isn’t it illegal to not give kids a way to get there?

Since 2011, Metro fares for youth have risen from $0.75 to $1.25 and now to $1.50, or $54 for a monthly pass. This is not affordable for low-income families. It’s time for our city to provide free transportation for all students to get to school! Continue reading →

Primary ballots are here! If you’re a registered voter, you should have gotten yours in the mail already. Now, you just have to remember to cast your vote (take a look at TRU’s endorsements!) and get your ballot in the mail or to a dropbox by August 4.

But why vote alone when you can join in TRU’s two-night Voting Extravaganza?? Bring yourself & your ballot, schmooze with the candidates, enjoy drink specials, and hear some comedy from stand-up comedian and local political commentator Brett Hamil (check out his take on the Dist. 3 race here!).

Plus, stamps are expensive these days. We’ll have a box for ballots if you want us to take yours to the dropbox for you, and some stamps if you prefer to put it in the mail yourself. So come, bring your friends, and above all don’t forget to vote!!  Details above and below, you can RSVP on Facebook.

TRU Voting Extravaganza Day #1
Monday, July 27, 7:00 PM – close
@ Neighbor Lady Bar, 2308 E. Union St.

TRU Voting Extravaganza Day #2
Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 – 10:00 PM
@ Vermillion Bar, 1508 11th Ave

One more note on why voting by August 4 is so important. Turnout in primary elections tends to be very low, especially in odd years – as low as 25% of registered voters have actually voted in primaries in King County in recent years. A few of these primary races could come down to extremely thin margins. Your vote really counts!!!

Check out the trailer for this new documentary from Undrgrnd Productions about traffic and transit in Seattle! It should be out in August, so stay tuned for a public screening.

This month, TRU is getting out the vote for candidates we’ve endorsed in the primary elections for City Council. Want to help? Email contact@transitriders.org or leave a message at 206-651-4282.

Ready to head to 3rd Ave bus stops!

Vote Jon Grant for Citywide Position 8!

Re-Elect Kshama Sawant for District 3!

Then we joined a picket in solidarity with Macy’s workers.