Vote to APPROVE Pierce Transit Proposition 1

This November 3rd Tacoma and Pierce County voters will get the chance to increase funding for local transit service. The measure known as Proposition 1, would levy an additional 3 cents on some $10 purchases, to support a 47% increase in local bus service. This would bring Pierce Transit’s share of the sales tax from 0.6% to 0.9%, helping to close the gap with other jurisdictions like Thurston and King Counties, which levy more than 1.0% of the local sales tax for transit service.

Sales tax compared to peer transit agencies in Washington. Source: Pierce Transit, “More Within Reach” slide deck, October 2026.

What does Proposition 1 include?

Proposition 1 includes a number of benefits to residents that will mean more opportunities to catch transit to places that matter, with shorter wait times, more opportunities to get a seat, and more options for fareless service for people who live on fixed incomes.

What the measure includes to voters is the following:

• Fare-free rides for Seniors and Youth
• More 15-20 minute service on high ridership routes like Pacific and 6th Avenues, S 19th Street, and South Tacoma Way
• More frequent bus service during peak periods, upgrading hourly service to every 30 minutes
• Bus service earlier in the day and later into the evening, on weekends and on weekdays
• New routes to serve the Port of Tacoma, NE Tacoma, Puyallup, and other areas
• Expanded special event and summer services for high demand areas
• Improved connections to Sound Transit light rail when it reaches Tacoma Dome

Proposition 1 is important to keep Tacoma and Pierce County affordable

As a non-driver, I can tell you that Tacoma has lagged behind the region with regard to transit service for many years. Only a few areas of the county have enough service to reliably live without a car, or with fewer cars in a household. Those areas are limited to some of Tacoma’s popular neighborhood centers, which have gotten more expensive over time to live near, which means that many who previously relied on transit have been displaced by increasing rents to other areas with less transit service. Proposition 1 will substantially expand the areas in Pierce County where having a car may be more of an option than a requirement.

Each car costs its owner $12,863 a year on average according to AAA’s 2026 Your Driving Costs study, to make payments on, fuel, and maintain. When that fact is paired with the housing affordability crisis, which affects many of Tacoma’s moderate income renters who pay in excess of 1/3 of their income on rent, it becomes all too clear that residents need more opportunities to reduce major household expenses without sacrificing critical investments in savings, groceries, health, education, and other priorities.

Where the average cost of a car goes, per mile. Chart: The Auto Wire. Data: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026.

Proposition 1 if it passes, will offer more opportunities for more families to make choices about how they will get from point a to point b. Think of Pierce Transit as being a very affordable second or third car. More young adults will be able to choose to ride transit or use a combination of modes to get to school, activities, parks, and the mall, saving parents time and money spent on shuttling them around. Seniors can take advantage of free Shuttle paratransit service and fixed route, helping them make ends meet on fixed incomes, while making crucial medical appointments and grocery store trips. Each trip saved will help families on car payments, gas, and wear and tear on a vehicle.

I do encourage everyone to vote Yes on Proposition 1.

Why is Proposition 1 important to Tacoma?

Proposition 1 is also crucial to Tacoma’s development as a city with a growing population in the same land area.

The City’s Comprehensive Plan calls for Grit City to grow by another 130,000 residents and add another 90,000 jobs by 2045. The vast majority of those newly added housing units for new residents are not single family dwellings, they will be duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, apartments and condos. To build those types of units efficiently and at lower price points for renters and buyers, they will need to reduce the space allocated to car parking to save room for housing units.

Tacoma’s planning vision is to develop more around our walkable centers and transit corridors to give residents more viable options for walking, biking, and taking transit to make trips for shopping, commuting to work or school, reaching medical appointments, visiting parks and open space and participating in community events.

Without Proposition 1, Tacoma may become less affordable to live in compared with other cities in the region that do offer quality transit service, which will have various impacts on air and water quality, on housing affordability, and on the ability for residents who do drive to find parking spaces at home and around town.

Please vote to Approve Pierce Transit Proposition 1.