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Transit Riders, take action & speak up for HB 2186!

You know those vast parking lots at Northgate Mall, Walmart, Home Depot and other big box stores? Not only do they take up space and create an environment hostile to pedestrians, they contribute to stormwater runoff pollution and they stand nearly empty much of the time. And yet, they’re totally exempt from the Commercial Parking Tax that Seattle levies on lots where customers pay to park.

The Transit Riders Union has been working with progressive legislators in Olympia on legislation that would authorize a tax on Non-Residential Parking Facilities, requiring the parking lot owner to pay for these huge expanses of pavement. This progressive tax would close the loophole that exempts “free” parking spaces that actually come with high social costs. It would raise badly-needed revenue for public transit, as well as being good for the environment and improving our urban landscape.

Now is the time to contact your representatives in the House in support of HB 2186! Name the bill number and tell them you support a tax on non-residential parking facilities.

It’s easy to find your legislators here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

Or, just call the legislative hotline, 1-800-562-6000, leave a message with your name and street address, and it will be forwarded to your legislators.

Join the Delegation for Affordable Transit!

San Francisco recently made the riding the bus free for low to moderate income youth, senior and disabled riders. So why did King County just raise fares for all these riders? Senior and disabled riders have seen their annual bus pass costs increase more than fourfold since 2010.

With the March 1st fare increases, Metro now has among the highest fares in the nation. C’mon King County – we can do so much better than this!

The Transit Riders Union is forming a Delegation of hundreds of riders to meet with elected officials and present our vision of affordable public transit. Join us! Our first meeting with County Councilmembers will take place in mid-April, date and time to be announced soon. Is your quality of life compromised because fares are too high? Do you have friends or family who count quarters and budget for each ride to school or services? We want your voice in the Delegation. Together we’re going to win affordable transit!

Join TRU

Cuts to the transit cuts, low income fare comments

The King County Council has just canceled plans for further bus cuts, largely by reducing Metro’s reserve fund. They’re banking on a booming economy, which is a dangerous bet – another downturn in sales tax revenue & we’ll be in serious trouble. But in the meantime, if Seattle TBD Proposition 1 passes, there will be $45 million available to expand and improve as well as preserve bus service. More frequent runs? Better Night Owl service? More Reduced Fare bus tickets? Lower fares? More recovery time between runs so drivers can use the bathroom? If Seattle TBD Proposition 1 passes, which of these things should TRU push for?  Join TRU and be part of the decision.Want to learn more or get involved in the campaign for Proposition 1?  Come to our Membership Meeting next Monday, October 6, 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Labor Temple Hall 6, 2800 1st Avenue.

Sound Transit Considers a Low Income Fare – Public Comment

Sound Transit is now considering following Metro’s lead in offering a reduced fare to low income riders.  This is great news, and and testament to the power of the Transit Riders Union and all our allied organizations that fought with us for a low income reduced fare over the past two years.

So what’s the problem?  Sound Transit wants to fund this program through a general fare increase of $0.25.  Is this necessary?  No, actually with voter approval Sound Transit could assess an Employer Tax that would more than cover the costs.  We’re facing a global climate crisis – now is not the time to be raising fares and driving “choice riders” back to their cars!

The public comment period is open until October 23.  Tell them what you think.

Update on saving Metro buses

The Keep Seattle Moving campaign has decided to suspend signature-gathering for Initiative 118, and the Mayor is expected to announce a ballot measure to save Metro bus service this Tuesday, May 13. Stay tuned…

Thank you to everyone who has been out collecting signatures already! You are invited to our Volunteer Thank-You Party this Friday, May 16, 5:00 – 7:00 at the Owl & Thistle, 808 Post Avenue. (And, of course, you are invited if you volunteered with the Prop 1 Campaign.) Do RSVP by Tuesday by replying to this email, or leave a message at 206-651-4282, so that we can plan accordingly.

Finally, an announcement for TRU Members: the Organizers Meeting this Monday is cancelled. Once we have more information on the Mayor’s proposal we’ll see about rescheduling.

On April 22 Proposition 1 was defeated in King County, despite the heroic efforts and hard work of TRU members and volunteers and many other organizations and individuals. That means bus cuts are on the way. As disheartening as this is, we are far from giving up! While we plan our strategy for the November elections and next legislative session, we still have a chance to save most of Seattle’s bus service.At our Membership Meeting on Monday, TRU endorsed Initiative 118, which would raise property taxes in Seattle to stop or reverse cuts on all Metro routes that operate at least 80% within city limits. Over 20,000 valid signatures must be gathered by June 4.

TRU will be on the front lines of this effort, and we need your help!  To volunteer, email TRU’s Outreach Coordinator Lorraine (lorraine@transitriders.org) or leave a message at 206-651-4282.  You can also pick up Petition Sheets at any of the events below.  And if you volunteered with the Prop 1 Campaign, don’t forget to RSVP for our Volunteer Thank-You Party on Friday, May 16!

Let’s Save Our Buses!

Join TRU

Public Hearing on Metro Cuts

On Tuesday, May 13, King County will be holding a public hearing on the upcoming Metro Cuts, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Union Station, 401 S. Jackson. TRU will be there with our table, and this is a great chance to pick up petition sheets and sign up to volunteer.

read more

Save Our Metro Campaign Kickoff next Monday, March 17!

Next Monday, come on out and help Transit Riders Union get this campaign rolling.  To save our bus service and win an affordable reduced fare, we as transit riders need to do more than vote yes on April 22we need to get out on the buses and at the bus stops, register new voters and spread the word!

Come to our kickoff event to learn about the campaign, sign up for our street teams, pick up a stack of flyers and posters, and get a button or a shirt to wear.  There will be refreshments, and we’ll keep it brief to leave time for St. Patrick’s Day festivities.  If you know in advance that you can attend, RSVP to contact@transitriders.org, and help us spread the word on Facebook.

Save Our Metro Campaign Kickoff!
Monday, March 17, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Labor Temple, Hall #8
2800 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

If you can’t make it on Monday, you can print an improved version of our flyer here to hand out on your bus, and direct people to saveourmetro.org. Our outreach and action schedule will be up on our website soon, and you can also check TCC’s calendar for phone banking and other volunteer opportunities.

Let’s save our buses!

Community Forum on Public Transportation, January 16

Mark your calendar!  On Thursday, January 16, TRU will be collaborating with Seattle Central Community College and other groups to hold a public forum on the planned Metro cuts, the public transit funding crisis, and what we can do about it.  Facebook page here.

What: Community Forum on Metro Cuts and the Transit Funding Crisis

When: Thursday, January 16, 12:00 – 2:00 pm or 4:00 – 6:00 pm (there are two sessions to accommodate students’ class schedules; both are open to the public)

Where: Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway Avenue (between Howell and Pine St., served by Metro routes 8, 9x, 10, 11, 43, 49, 60)

Who: YOU!  This event is open to the public and all are invited. There will be a panel of speakers followed by questions, discussion and a call to action!

A Critical Moment for Public Transit

State lawmakers are at an impasse, with Sen. Rodney Tom‘s Majority Coalition Caucus stubbornly holding our transit funding hostage to their austerity agenda.  Dow Constantine has announced that King County will pursue a “Plan B” to save Metro, sending a regressive tax package (a flat Vehicle License Fee of up to $100 and a sales tax increase of up to 0.2%) to voters as early as April. Seattle council members are scrutinizing the city’s powers for alternative options.  And with no sure funding on the horizon, Metro is planning for 17% service cuts to begin next spring.

2014 will be a critical year, and the events of the next few months could determine the future of King County’s transit system for years to come. What should the Transit Riders Union do? We want you to help us decide – and we can’t do it without you. Join TRU now to have a voice and a vote at our first Membership Meeting of 2014. Let’s work and fight together to save and expand our public transit system!

Public Forum January 16th

Mark your calendar! The Transit Riders Union is collaborating with Seattle Central Community College and other groups to hold a community forum on the future of King County Metro on Thursday, January 16 at the Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway. There will be two sessions, one from 12:00 – 2:00 pm and one from 4:00 – 6:00 pm.  Come listen, question, discuss and take action!

October 14: Senate "Listening Tour" comes to Seattle

Seattle “Listening Tour” Stop

Monday, October 14, 6:00pm – 9:00 pm
King County Courthouse, Room 1001
10th Floor, 516 3rd Avenue, Seattle
* Transit Riders & Allies Rally outside at 5 pm *

Our Senators have been making their way around the state (starting with the Bellevue forum on September 17 where we gave Rodney Tom a piece of our mind! — see below) and at every stop so far they’ve heard the same message: pass a transportation package with transit funding already! In other words, people around the state are telling them to do exactly what they refused to do during the 2013 legislative session and the two agonizing special sessions this spring.

What are these Senators up to? Let’s be honest – it’s not really about listening to the people. The “Majority” Coalition Caucus (MCC) has an agenda, and it’s an unimaginative right-wing agenda at that: they want to “streamline” (i.e. gut) environmental reviews, privatize of our public services and resources, cut hard-working construction workers’ wages, and de-fund any mode of transportation other than driving cars.

This “listening tour” is designed to fabricate public support for a transportation package that aligns with their right-wing agenda – and then they plan to use our desperation for public transit funding to secure the support of the more progressive King County legislators.

All in all, it’s a dog-and-pony show – but nonetheless, we need to be there to speak out for public transit and to call out the MCC on their “reforms”. The Transit Riders Union and allies will be rallying outside the courthouse at 5pm, and if you want to sign up for public comment you may want to arrive even earlier. In fact, please RSVP if you plan to be there and want to give public comment, so we can keep you informed.

Like TRU on Facebook

We are proud to announce the publication of Issue #2 of the Transit Reader Newsletter. You can read the PDF version here, or come to our next Membership Meeting on Monday, October 7, 6:30 at the Labor Temple, to pick up a paper copy. Want to distribute the Transit Reader on your bus, or leave some at your neighborhood cafe or library? We’ll be happy to give you a stack — just get in touch.

Join Dow Constantine, Mike McGinn, Sen Kohl-Welles in Seattle Saturday noon for a rally to save transit

Join the Transit Riders Union and allies Saturday at noon in downtown Seattle to kick off a campaign to save our bus service!  The rally will take place at the park on the south side of King County Courthouse at 3rd and Yesler.

Our fantastic speaker line-up (full list here) includes Exec. Dow Constantine, Mayor Mike McGinn, Rep. Gael Tarleton, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Metro driver and ATU officer Verita Alexander, Seattle/KC NAACP President James Bible, and Socialist Alternative city council candidate Kshama Sawant. So come along, and bring your grievances – we’ll be collecting statements to send to Senator Rodney Tom.

WTF, Olympia? Rally

What? A rally to express our dissatisfaction with our State Legislature
When? Saturday, July 27, 12:00 pm
Where? City Hall Park, 450 3rd Ave (south of King County Courthouse)
Who? Everyone with a grievance
Why? It’s time to get organized!

Olympia, Where’s the Funding?? Let’s fight to save our buses!

Transit Riders Union

Join us in asking "WTF, Olympia?" on July 27

Late Tuesday afternoon we learned that nation-wide vigils for Trayvon Martin have been called for this Saturday at noon, exactly the same time as the planned WTF Olympia? rally. At an emergency committee meeting last night we decided to postpone the rally until the following Saturday, July 27, out of respect for this national day of action and to avoid conflicting with the Seattle vigil. All other details remain the same – more information is below.  We encourage you to attend both events, and apologize for any confusion.

We’re still reconfirming our speaker line-up, but it will include Mayor McGinn and a couple of other elected officials in addition to local activists.  We’ll  be collecting a busload of grievances for later delivery to Sen. Rodney Tom, who was instrumental in blocking a transportation funding option for King County. Can’t make it to the rally but still want to participate? Send us your message for Rodney Tom and we’ll make sure he gets it.  You can also distribute posters and flyers, and join us on Friday, July 26 for a rush-hour march down the 3rd Avenue sidewalk for last-minute getting the word out – find us at Westlake Park at 3:30.

WTF, Olympia? Rally

What? A rally to express our dissatisfaction with our State Legislature
When? Saturday, July 27, 12:00 pm
Where? City Hall Park, 450 3rd Ave (south of King County Courthouse)
Who? Everyone with a grievance
Why? It’s time to get organized!

Olympia, Where’s the Funding?? Let’s fight to save our buses!

It's time to get organized about transit!

On June 30 we learned that the State Senate would not pass a local transit funding option – or any transportation package at all, for that matter – this session. Now King County Metro is preparing to cut our bus service by a whopping 17%.

The failure of certain of our elected representatives in Olympia is irresponsible and unacceptable, and we won’t stand for it. We’re planning our strategy for the coming months. But as a first step, TRU is working will allies to hold a demonstration and rally at noon on Saturday, July 20. We’re all going get together to ask the question: WTF, Olympia?! – which, as we all know, stands for “Where’s The Funding???”

What can you do? Come to the demonstration, and bring your friends. Spread the word on Facebook, and by printing and distributing flyers and posters. Do you ride a route that will be cut? Give this flyer to your fellow riders!  Contact us to find out how else you can volunteer. And join the Transit Riders Union.

Let’s fight to save our buses!