How Tacoma Can Build More Equitable Transit

Writing in The Urbanist, Chris Karnes argues in favor of a 0.1 percent city sales tax to benefit public transit in the Tacoma area, where "Pierce Transit has struggled to keep even hourly service on some routes." Despite several successful city ballot measures supporting transit and significant transit investment in neighboring Seattle, Tacoma's transit agency still suffers from a substantial funding shortage and a lack of support on the county level. "This inaction on reliable and accessible transit service when paired with the crises of climate action and affordable housing begs the question of whether the City of Tacoma should be doing more to address the problem," writes Karnes.

While the argument has been made that Tacoma should wait for Pierce Transit to develop the momentum to have another go at a countywide measure, that’s akin to asking a toddler to run a 100 meter dash. We must first walk, then run: build support for transit at a city level and then expand that base of support.

Karnes claims that the tax increase is necessary to improve Pierce Transit's service and suggests longer operating hours, late-night service, free fares on certain routes, and a variety of extensions and rerouting projects.