Seattle Transit Investments Show Promising Results

The Seattle Transportation Benefit District has led to a growth in ridership and improved access to frequent service, according to a third-year performance report.

1 minute read

February 5, 2019, 9:00 AM PST

By Camille Fink


Seattle Bus

SounderBruce from Seattle, United States / Wikimedia Commons

Stephen Fesler looks at outcomes of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District as it finishes up its third year. Funding for the STBD came from a 2014 measure approved by voters to expand transit services through a $60 vehicle license fee and a 0.1 percent sales tax increase. The STBD has provided a good return on investment, with $0.91 for every dollar going directly to improving transit services and access.

Since 2015, transit ridership has increased in Seattle on all modes, and much of this growth has happened on regional partnership bus routes. Access also improved between 2015 and 2018. In 2018, over two-thirds of households were within a 10-minute walk of transit service with a frequency of at least 10 minutes, up from a quarter of households in 2015.

In addition, notes Fesler, on-time performance of buses in Seattle improved, the ORCA Youth Card program grew, and more bus routes were added to a service to hiking trailheads.

Funding for the STBD will end next year without reauthorization. In addition to the annual spending on service and access improvements, the Seattle Department of Transportation can spend an additional $10 million on capital projects through the end of 2020. "These investments could include transit-only lanes, queue jumps, transit signal priority, and other strategies to improve speed and reliability," says Fesler.

Thursday, January 24, 2019 in The Urbanist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight