Politics
Seattle Proposition 1 would fund more buses with a 0.3% sales tax
Seattle’s proposed transit measure would raise an estimated $138 million a year for bus service and related programs, adding about $58 annually in sales taxes for a median two-person household. Supporters say it would improve access and service; critics question the tax burden and whether more spending will bring riders back.
Seattle voters are being asked to approve a 0.3% sales tax for transit that would raise an estimated $138 million a year over the next decade, largely to maintain and expand bus service.
Proposition 1, known as the Seattle Transit Measure, would replace a 2020 transit tax that is scheduled to expire next year. The city estimates the new levy would cost a median two-person Seattle household about $58 a year, or roughly 30 cents on a $100 purchase. If approved, it would bring Seattle’s retail sales tax rate to 10.71%.
The City Council placed the measure on the ballot after it was developed by Mayor Katie Wilson. Its supporters include elected officials, labor unions and transit advocates. There is no organized opposition, though critics have raised concerns about the growing tax burden and whether additional service will attract more passengers.
Most of the revenue — about $94.6 million annually — would go toward bus service. The plan is expected to add about 95,000 bus trips a year, on top of roughly 180,000 trips funded by the expiring measure. Another $23.4 million would support the Seattle Streetcar, while $9 million would fund transit access programs, including 12,000 annual passes for residents of Seattle Housing Authority units.
The measure also sets aside about $6 million a year to help advance Sound Transit 3 light-rail projects, including the proposed West Seattle and Ballard lines and Graham Street Station. About $5 million would go to transit improvements such as bus lanes, traffic-signal upgrades, safer crossings, sidewalks and improved stops near light-rail stations.
Supporters argue that reliable transit is essential as Seattle grows and seeks to reduce car dependence. Kirk Hovenkotter, executive director of the Transportation Choices Coalition, said the funding would help make the city more affordable for people who rely on buses and allow them to arrive more often. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 President Greg Woodfill said transit benefits people who do not ride, too, by taking cars off the road and advancing climate and equity goals.
The proposal comes as ridership continues to recover from pandemic-era declines. King County Metro recorded about 94.5 million passenger trips in 2025, up from 53 million in 2021 but below the nearly 128.7 million recorded in 2019.
Washington Policy Center transportation director Charles Prestrud has argued that voters may not recognize how sales taxes affect consumers across income levels. He also questioned whether expanding service would necessarily increase ridership, noting that many lower-income workers still commute by car and that Metro estimates about 34% of passengers countywide do not pay fares.
Seattle voters have approved earlier transit measures. In 2014, 62% backed a 0.1% sales tax and a car-tab fee that funded additional Metro trips and subsidized passes. In 2020, 80% approved a 0.15% sales tax increase to buy more bus service and continue funding transit passes, bus lanes and transit-related projects.
The new proposal would double the sales-tax rate dedicated to buses compared with the 2020 measure, while extending transit funding at a time when federal support is uncertain and state transportation dollars are limited.