The past 5 days may have been the most consequential week for transit in Puget Sound this year. Across the region, voters and elected officials decided to invest in transit for years and decades to come.
On Tuesday, voters in Seattle approved the Seattle Transit Measure (STM) with an overwhelming 72% supporting the measure. The 0.3% sales tax increase will take effect on April 1, 2027 and fund 280,000 bus trips in Seattle each year for 10 years. The measure also funds 22,000 free ORCA cards for low-income, elderly, and families with young children, maintain support for Seattle’s streetcar lines, fund spot improvements to keep buses moving, and help expedite permits and inspections for Link expansion projects in Seattle. The additional bus trips will help grow Seattle’s Very Frequent Transit Network.
In Pierce County, 58% of voters approved a significant expansion to Pierce Transit on Tuesday. The approved proposition increases the sales and use tax within the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area by 0.3%. With this additional funding, Piece Transit will add four new routes, upgrade existing routes 1, 2, and 3 to Stream lines, run most routes until 10pm (8pm on Sunday), and double weekend frequencies from 1hr to 30min on 15 routes. Pierce Transit will also add seasonal and special event service when needed and expand paratransit services. The additional funding will support free fares for seniors aged 65+. Free fares for seniors will start on April 1, 2027. The new routes and other changes will be rolled out in phases to allow time for planning, hiring additional staff, and buying new buses.
On Wednesday, the Everett City Council voted unanimously voted to approve the merger of Everett Transit and Community Transit. The Community Transit Board voted to approve the merger the following day. With these votes, Everett Transit end operations on March 31, 2027. Beginning April 1, Community Transit will operate all current Everett Transit routes and CT is required to maintain or exceed the existing level of service during the transition. Over the four years following the merger, Community Transit will increase service hours in Everett by 50%. In addition, CT will add a new Zip microtransit zone in Everett by March 2028.
To fund the additional service, Community Transit’s 1.2% sales tax will replace Everett’s existing 0.6% sales tax on April 1, 2027. Fares on existing Everett Transit routes will remain at $2 until at least April 2028. Any changes to the fares will require approval from the Community Transit Board.
Community Transit will pay Everett $54.5 million for the existing transit infrastructure and to mitigate any transition costs to the City. Separately, Everett will transfer $16 million in existing transit capital reserves to support replacing buses and other equipment.
Within the past week, voters in Seattle and Pierce County and elected officials in Snohomish County decided to invest in transit. The service improvements across the region will make traveling easier and more convenient for hundreds of thousands of people everyday. As Everett and Tacoma prepare for their respective Link extensions, the decisions made this week will ensure each Link extension connects with a robust bus network.
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