South Sound transit advocates and elected officials came together Thursday night in Tacoma to officially kick off the campaign for a ballot measure that could transform bus service across Pierce County. The "Keep Pierce Moving" campaign is making the case to voters for Pierce Transit's Proposition 1, which would enable the biggest expansion of local bus service that agency has seen in decades.
With the 0.3% increase to Pierce Transit's sales tax rates that voters will be asked to approve on November 3, in return they'll see a bus system that is able to grow by 49% compared to current service levels. Bus routes to every corner of the Pierce Transit service area will get more frequent, with many routes running hours later into the evening than they currently do.
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The measure would also fund four new routes, including the return of fixed-route transit service to Northeast Tacoma for the first time since 2024.
By the time the service adjustments are fully implemented, no Pierce Transit bus routes would operate less frequently than every 30 minutes, leaving the era of the hourly bus in the dust. The result would be a quantum leap for many Tacoma neighborhoods and cities like Lakewood, Fife, and Puyallup.
"People want transit that is reliable, that is connected, and that gets them where they need to go in dignity and convenience," Laura Svancarek, executive director of Tacoma on the Go, told Thursday's overflow crowd at the Tacoma's Berliner Beerhall. "Transit brings us together."
While Pierce County has trailed its neighbors in transit funding and service levels, the need is no less acute.
"More so here in Pierce County compared to other counties, we know that we have a lot of folks that truly rely on transit service to be able to live their life and do the things that they want and need to do," Svancarek said. "Transit brings communities together. Great transit connects people to opportunities, resources, and their lives, and that's why we are so excited about this package from Pierce Transit."
While members of the campaign are very optimistic, Pierce County's track record on transit ballot measures is going to cause a lot of nail-biting on election night. In 2011, voters rejected this very same 0.03% sales tax increase by more than 10 points, a decision that led to a catastrophic 35% service cut. Pierce Transit leaders ultimately decided to advance a significant reduction in Pierce Transit's overall service area, with DuPont, Sumner, and Bonney Lake fully dropped.
After going from a peak of 600,000 annual service hours in 2008 down to just 350,000 hours per year after those cuts took effect, Pierce Transit went to the ballot a second time in 2012 in the hopes of being able to restore some service. Voters once again said no – but that time by a painfully close 704 votes out of more than 200,000 ballots cast.
"I argue this one's much better," Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello said Thursday, comparing Prop 1 to the 2012 measure. "This one's much more inclusive. This one's much more clear. I think this one's more compelling. But that one was good too. Don't get me wrong."
Mello had a front row seat to that 2012 campaign as a member of the Tacoma City Council, and put the expansion of transit service front-and-center during his campaign to lead Washington's second most populous county.
Mello also pointed out that when the 2012 measure fell short by 704 votes, more than 15,000 voters simply did not vote yes or no.
"If we get the amount of people who don't make it all the way down to the end of the ballot, who actually know what's in it for them, we really believe we win. We really believe that we win. The case is clear. We're super clear and transparent to voters about what we buy," Mello said. "We all know that transportation access is the limiting factor to folks having access to opportunity. We have an incredibly compelling and fair case. We just have to get the voters to get there."
Pierce Transit's ballot measure comes on the heels of a successful campaign to expand transit in Spokane, with voters signing onto a 0.2% sales tax increase by a three-point margin. That victory came in the face of a significant opposition campaign, largely funded by local developer Larry Stone, that spent more than twice what the Yes for Buses campaign did.
In Seattle, voters are being asked to renew the Seattle Transit Measure, bumping an existing 0.15% sales tax up to 0.3% to fund an additional 100,000 bus trips annually – with a focus on nights and weekends.
Meanwhile in Everett, local officials will be asked to sign off on the full consolidation of the city-run Everett Transit system into the larger Community Transit network, a move that is expected to bump up transit service in Everett by 50%.
Having come so close in 2012, Pierce County's transit advocates are confident that this will be the year that they can overcome history and get voters on their side. If they don't, Pierce Transit will likely ultimately be facing service cuts in the years ahead, as expenses continue to outpace revenue coming in.
"This is an amazing package," Tacoma Councilmember Kristina Walker said Thursday. "We're gonna get out to every corner of the county to make sure everyone knows how great this package is and that they need to vote."
Ryan Packer
Ryan Packer
