After the 2008-2009 recession, King County Metro had major funding shortfalls. From 2009 to 2013 they implemented hundreds of millions in cost-saving measures, but in 2013, they were forced to reduce bus services to close the funding gap.
To try and stop more service cuts and pay for road repairs, King County Proposition 1 was put to a vote in April 2014. The measure did not pass across the whole county, but voters in Seattle showed strong support for it.
Seeing the need for better transit in Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray proposed a new measure, Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) Proposition 1, for the November 2014 ballot. Seattle voters approved it, which added a $60 vehicle license fee and increased the sales tax by 0.1%. This money was used from 2015 to 2020 to improve public transit and make buses more accessible for residents.
In 2020, voters approved a new measure called the Seattle Transit Measure (STM). It replaced the old Proposition 1 with a 0.15% sales tax. This section explains the history of these measures and what was accomplished with the funds from STBD Proposition 1.
Major Transit Improvements Funded by STBD Proposition 1 (2015-2020)
Between 2015 and 2020, STBD Proposition 1 funding made these improvements possible:
- Increased Transit Trips: Over 8,000 weekly trips were added to King County Metro routes. By 2019, 8% of King County Metro’s Network was funded by STBD Proposition 1.
- Better Access to Frequent Transit: The percentage of households within a 10-minute walk to frequent transit rose from 25% in 2015 to 70% in 2019.
- Night Owl Service: Added bus service after midnight to support nightlife and job shifts that end late or begin early in the morning.
- Reliable Connections: By focusing frequency (ensure a bus comes every 15 minutes or less during busy hours), we improved transfers between routes and helped transit be more convenient and reliable.
- ORCA Opportunity Programs: Provided free transit access for students and low-income seniors, supporting mobility for all economic backgrounds.
- Student Programs: Expanded year-round transit passes to 7,000 Seattle Public Schools high school students and offered summer passes to almost 5,000 additional students. This program paved the way for Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funding for free youth transit across the state.
- Seattle Housing Authority Partnership: Piloted a program that distributed 1,600 free ORCA cards to low-income residents.
- Community Programs: Supported programs to enhance transit access for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals.
Seattle Transit Measure Milestones
2014
November: 62% of Seattle voters approved STBD Proposition 1 to fund increased Metro service and low-income transit programs.
2015
June: Added 2,060 weekly bus trips to Metro routes in Seattle, improving transit frequency on 16 routes and restoring service on two routes slated for cuts.
June: Added nearly 2,200 additional weekly bus trips, focusing on improving transit frequency citywide.
2016
February: Launched Youth ORCA Program in partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) to provide ORCA cards to income-eligible youth. Inspired by Rainier Beach High School students' 2015 town hall.
March: Funded service improvements for routes to Capitol Hill and UW Link light rail stations, alongside Metro’s bus service restructure.
March: Separated and extended RapidRide C and D Lines to serve new areas and improve reliability.
2017
June: For the 2016-2027 school year, provided ORCA cards to 2,538 high school students and 142 middle school students, resulting in 440,000 trips during the school year.
June: Funded $15 pre-loaded ORCA LIFT cards, resulting in 350,000 bus boardings from the beginning of the ORCA LIFT program in March 2015 through June 2017.
June: Improved weekday service to 10-minute frequency on four routes and added Night Owl service on eight routes.
2018
February: The City of Seattle expanded the Youth ORCA program to provide free ORCA cards to all Seattle Public High School students.
May: Funded 50% of Metro’s Trailhead Direct service for weekend/holiday connections to hiking destinations.
June: Seattle City Council expanded Metro routes eligible for STBD funding, expanded fare subsidy programs, and allowed STBD funds to support transit capital projects.
September: Added late-night trips on two routes.
2019
June: Launched pilot with Seattle Housing Authority to provide 12-month unlimited ORCA cards to 1,500 income-eligible residents.
2020
March: Washington State issued “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order; Metro reduced services due to COVID-19.
July: Seattle City Council endorsed a new transit measure to replace 2014’s STBD Prop 1 with a 0.15% sales tax for transit investments (now referred to as the Seattle Transit Measure).
September: Adjusted funding to preserve ~184,000 hours of transit service and removed ~175,000 hours due to pandemic ridership decline; transit service was prioritized on routes that maintained high ridership during the pandemic.
November: 80% of voters approved the new Seattle Transit Measure (STM).
2021
April: STM tax collection began to support transit service and access programs.
June: Distributed ORCA Recovery cards to essential workers in in Pioneer Square, the Chinatown/International District, Othello, or Rainier Beach. See SDOT Blog post.
September: Added 500 weekly trips to Metro routes in West Seattle to mitigate the West Seattle High Bridge closure impacts.
2022
July: Installed 1.2 miles of red bus lanes on Rainier Ave South as part of the STM-funded project to improve transit reliability
Fall: Launched Seattle Promise Scholar ORCA Pass, providing subsidized transit cards for students over 18 enrolled in Seattle Colleges as a Promise Scholar; distributed 1,906 Seattle Promise Scholar ORCA cards.
Fall: During the 2023 City budget process, STM’s capital spending cap was increased to $15M.
2023
Winter: Made SHA Transit Pass permanent, expanding eligibility to all 10,000 SHA residents. See SDOT Blog post.
March: Added 250 weekly Metro bus trips. See SDOT Blog post.
Fall: During the 2024 City budget process, up to $1M in STM funds were allocated to Metro's Transit Ambassador Program for rider assistance in 2024.
December: Hosted Seattle's first-ever Youth Transportation Summit to address climate justice and transit equity.
Annual: Contributed $5.5M to Seattle Streetcar operations.
2024
July: STM-funded Metro Flex pilot began in the Delridge and South Park neighborhoods of Seattle. See SDOT Blog post.