August News: A Win for Transit Riders in Spokane

Transit advocates and elected leaders gather on election night in Spokane.

Dear friends,

Public transit has the power to make or break people’s lives. When transit is fast, frequent, and reliable, it’s a source of freedom and independence for riders with disabilities, older adults, young people, and people who can’t afford to drive. But when transit is lacking, these same riders suffer. They waste hours waiting for buses and miss opportunities. Transit becomes a burden to plan around.

Making transit work for people is at the core of our work. It’s why we were thrilled to help win renewed funding for Spokane Transit Authority at the ballot earlier this month. And it’s why we’re excited to support transit ballot measures in Seattle and Pierce County this fall. These measures would expand transit service by 60% and 47%, respectively, transforming what it’s like to get around without a car. Let’s keep winning for transit riders! Read on to learn more and plug in.

See you on the bus!

– Transportation Choices Coalition

Helping Secure a Win for Transit Riders in Spokane

It’s official! With 51.5% of the vote, voters in Spokane County renewed a 0.2% sales tax that funds bus and paratransit service in the region. This will maintain expanded transit service and support improvements like the Division Street Bus Rapid Transit project for all the people who depend on transit to get around.

In the face of three business donors who raised more than $288,000 to spend on ads and mailers calling to defund the bus, Spokane voters chose to invest in their community. A huge thank you to voters for making this investment. And thank you to our many partners, especially Spokane Reimagined, for helping to make this win possible.

Our team supported the Yes for Buses campaign over the past several months, helping with fundraising, communications, and field organizing. TCC’s Advocacy Manager, Holden Minor Ringer, traveled to Spokane four times to help table and knock doors, and led weekly phone and text banking nights.

The weekend before the election, Holden and TCC’s executive director, Kirk Hovenkotter, were out canvassing as the devastating Spokane Complex fires began to spread. Our hearts are with the many people who have lost their homes and belongings and are left figuring out how to rebuild their lives.

Spokane Transit Authority helped people evacuate from areas threatened by wildfires earlier this month. Photo credit: STA.

When people needed to be evacuated, Spokane Transit Authority was there. STA operators drove toward the fires to get people out of senior homes and a medical center to safety. We are incredibly grateful to STA operators and staff, some of whom lost their own homes in the fire. STA is more than a transit agency; it’s an essential part of Spokane’s emergency response.

Please join us in donating to the relief efforts in Spokane.

Welcoming Our New Operations Manager, Shane!

Shane Unger brings more than a decade of experience in operations, project management, and event coordination, with previous roles at Smartsheet, Town Hall Seattle, and the City of Seattle. At TCC, Shane supports the organization’s internal operations by strengthening the systems, processes, and day-to-day functions that help staff do their best work and advance TCC’s mission. As a lifelong Seattleite, he believes walking, biking, and transit should be safe, accessible, and practical transportation choices for everyone. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, biking, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Welcoming Five New TCC Board Members!

This year, we’ve welcomed five wonderful additions to the TCC Board of Directors: Sarah Dixit, Felicia Alexander, Allison Dane Camden, Don Blakeney, and Andrew Glass Hastings. Together they bring a wealth of experience in transportation planning, organizational management, and the public sector and they’re already helping to steward the future of our organization. Read more about each of them on our About page.

Contributing to a Study On Transportation Access

We were excited to read a new WSDOT study after helping to shape its approach as a member of its technical advisory group.

The Destination Access Baseline Study follows WSDOT’s 2023 Frequent Transit Service Study and responds to legislative direction to improve how the agency analyzes disparities in transportation access and include consideration of demand-response services such as dial-a-ride and ADA complementary paratransit.

The study finds that public transportation increases access to jobs, medical facilities, food stores, parks, leisure opportunities, and community support services. But it also finds substantial access gaps between people who rely on public transportation and those who can drive. These disparities stem not only from inadequate transit service, but also from gaps in the pedestrian network and land-use patterns that make effective public transportation more difficult to provide.

The report points Washington toward a better way to make transportation decisions: invest in stronger public transportation and accessible pedestrian connections, and develop and test a new destination-access analysis to help evaluate how proposed projects will benefit Washingtonians.

TODAY: Join an Open House About the Potential Merger of Everett and Community Transit

The City of Everett and Community Transit are pursuing consolidation of their transit operations to create a unified, expanded countywide transit system. The organizations are hosting an open house so that community members can learn more about the proposed approach, ask questions and share feedback. Open house attendees will learn how consolidation could improve transit connections and service in Everett and throughout the region, learn about the consolidation process, and talk directly with City and Community Transit staff.

Date: Tuesday, August 18th
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Walter Hall Golf Course, Banquet Room
Address: 1226 Casino Road, Everett

Learn more about the open house and consolidation process here.

Join Us for a Rural Transportation Advocacy 101 Workshop in South King County

Join Transportation Choices Coalition, Hopelink, and the South King County Mobility Coalition for a South King County Rural Transportation Advocacy 101 Workshop!

Date: Thursday, August 20th
Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Muckleshoot Community Center
Address: 17432 SE 392nd St, Auburn, WA 98092

Every piece of our streets, trails, and transit takes advocacy. Whether it’s a crosswalk, sidewalk, or bus stop, someone asked for it to be there. This workshop is designed for people who live or work in South King County or have a direct connection to this region. Come learn about rural transportation advocacy and practice skills to help support your community’s access to safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation.

You’ll hear from a panel of local transportation and community leaders. Then, we’ll learn about different advocacy skills, such as how to give effective testimony, and practice together.

Learn more and register here.

Get Your Tickets to Tuxes & Trains 2026!

Tickets are going fast for our annual fundraising gala. We’d love to see you there!

✨ Tuxes & Trains 2026: History Starts Here ✨
Date: Friday, October 9th, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Venue: Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI), Seattle

This year’s theme, History Starts Here, celebrates a remarkable moment for transportation in our region. After years of advocacy, organizing, and public investment, we’re seeing transformative transit projects become reality—and together, we’re laying the groundwork for what comes next.

Join transit leaders, elected officials, planners, engineers, and advocates from across Washington for an inspiring evening of celebration, connection, and purpose. Enjoy delicious food, drinks, music, and great company as we reflect on the progress we’ve made together and help power the work still ahead.

Cancelled: Ribbon Cuttings for the New Wheat Line

Last month, we shared that WSDOT would be holding three ribbon-cutting celebrations for the new intercity bus line connecting Pasco and Spokane via Moses Lake. Unfortunately, due to the recent fires in Easter Washington, these celebrations have been cancelled. We’ll keep you posted if anything else is planned!

In 2025, we made the case for expanding Washington’s intercity bus network, and the Legislature responded. The Intercity Bus program got $5 million in new state funding to make the 2026 World Cup events more accessible, which translated to real, on-the-ground improvements, including more frequent service on two of the state’s most heavily used routes and a new route, the Wheat Line.

On the Ballot This November: Help Us Win Better Bus Service in Seattle and Pierce County

People participate in a bus ride-a-long in Pierce County.

Now that we’ve secured a win for transit riders in Spokane, we’re just getting started with two exciting campaigns in Seattle and Pierce County.

What’s on the line in Seattle: A renewal and expansion of the Seattle Transit Measure would help the bus come more often on weekends, in the evenings, and late at night, ensuring shift workers and other people who get around outside the typical 9-to-5 can still rely on transit. This measure would also double the number of free ORCA cards for low-income residents!

What’s on the line in Pierce County: A measure to expand the sales tax that funds Pierce Transit would launch four new routes, extend service to 10 PM on weekdays (most buses stop at 8 pm now), and end hourly waits for buses! Funding for Pierce Transit hasn’t increasedsince 2002, and transit riders are paying the price. It’s past time to win this investment in more service.

We need your help! Both campaigns will need people out in their communities, making the case for better transit. Please sign up to volunteer today.

Reflecting on the Yes for Buses Campaign in Spokane

Yes for Buses volunteers outside of the Washington Trust Bank, which gave $50,000 to the opposition.

What we thought would be a simple and uncontroversial 0.2% sales tax renewal turned out to be anything but. This campaign had it all, from energetic organizers willing to get tattoos of buses to cartoon villain antagonists seeking to cut transit in order to build a jail. It also had to contend with one of the most devastating fires in Washington State history the last weekend before the election. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we began working on the campaign in February, but nothing could prepare me for what would come.  

Read my full reflections on the campaign.

Holden Ringer

Advocacy Manager

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