Op-Ed: We can’t afford to lose bus service

by King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson

Bob Ferguson represents District 1 (which includes Shoreline and Lake Forest Park) on the Metropolitan King County Council. His e-mail is bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov.

As a regular bus commuter on the #41 from Northgate, I get a first-hand perspective on our transit system in King County. 

At 6:45 p.m., on a jam-packed bus last week, my bus had to leave commuters behind at the last downtown stop because there was not enough room to get them home. From my experience, it is evident that our community can’t afford to lose bus service.

Within the next month, the King County Council has to come to terms with a “Sophie’s Choice” – make heavy cuts to critical bus service or impose a $20 Congestion Reduction Charge.

King County Metro Transit faces a precipitous revenue shortfall as a result of the recession-driven decline in sales-tax revenue, which is Metro’s primary source of funding. Without new funding, 17 percent of all bus service will be eliminated. These service cuts would be the rough equivalent of eliminating all rush-hour or all weekend service in King County.

To keep our current level of bus service rolling, King County Executive Dow Constantine recently proposed a temporary $20 Congestion Reduction Charge on vehicle licenses for each of the next two years.

The Washington State Legislature authorized the imposition of the $20 Congestion Reduction Charge exclusively for King County because of the work we have already done to find efficiencies and reduce administrative costs. Over the past several years, the Council has overseen sweeping reforms of Metro Transit that have generated nearly $400 million in savings, including staff reductions, operational efficiencies, labor partnerships, fare increases, the cancellation of bus replacements, and the tapping of cash reserves.

In addition, the Council is poised to adopt a new strategic plan for Metro Transit. Following policy direction from the Regional Transit Task Force, the new plan will do away with the old 40/40/20 policy, a failed formula that required any new revenue to be spent on transit service according to arbitrary geographic lines – not on ridership. Under the old policy, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park were lumped together with Seattle and received only 20¢ of every dollar towards new service. The new policy will put productivity first, ensuring that our transit dollars are spent efficiently on those routes that get people where they need to go.

After considerable thought, I have decided to support the Executive’s proposed $20 Congestion Reduction Charge. This decision was not an easy one. Families are struggling in this economy, and I do not take fee decisions lightly. However, families and workers rely on transit everyday to get to their jobs and to get their children to school.

We have stretched our shrinking dollars as far as we can. Without revenue growth, service must be cut. The new revenues generated by the Congestion Reduction Charge are vital to preserving the bus service we need to keep our community and our economy moving. We simply can’t afford to lose bus service.

More information about the routes affected by service cuts if the Council fails to take action is available on the King County website.