TransitThursday, November 5
Pierce County voters are backing Prop 1 to expand Pierce Transit bus service by 47%
The Daily Auburn team
If you ride Pierce Transit or shop in its service area, here's the news from next door. Early results showed 57.73% of voters in favor of Proposition 1, and KOMO reports voters approved it. It raises the sales tax rate from 0.6% to 0.9%, an additional 3 cents per $10 spent.
The new rate takes effect April 1, 2027, and full rollout is expected by the end of 2032. Buying roughly 60 buses and hiring operators will take at least two to three years. Voters rejected transit sales tax measures in 2011 and 2012, the second by a margin of less than 700 votes.
- Seniors 65 and older: free rides starting April 1, 2027
- Get a senior card: Pierce Transit Customer Service Center or myORCA.com
- Weekends: nine new half-hourly routes Saturdays, 14 on Sundays
- First-year revenue: an estimated $64 million
Prop 1 would lift Pierce Transit's tax rate but still trail two peers
Source: KNKX Public Radio
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Pierce Transit now | 0.6% |
| With Prop 1 | 0.9% |
| Spokane Transit | 0.8% |
| Community Transit | 1.2% |
| Intercity Transit | 1.2% |
Sources: KOMO, Tacoma News Tribune, KNKX Public Radio