Puyallup proclaims June 2025 Public Transit Month; Pierce Transit thanks city for partnership

Mayor Jim Castelman read a proclamation on June 17 declaring June 2025 as Public Transit Month in Puyallup and urged residents and organizations to ride and support public transportation.

The proclamation cited local and regional ridership figures supplied in the mayor’s text: Pierce Transit provided nearly 6.8 million bus passenger trips in 2024, 308,021 shuttle trips, about 362,000 rideshare trips and roughly 52,000 "runner" trips within Pierce County; the proclamation also noted that Pierce Transit provided approximately 1 million free rides to riders 18 and under in 2024. It referenced Sound Transit service counts as well.

Pierce Transit’s government-relations administrator Kurt Colbis accepted the proclamation and said public transit "connects people to jobs, school, their community, health care, and most importantly, to each other." Colbis thanked the city for its partnership and called for continued efforts to make transit a preferred travel option.

Why it matters: The proclamation highlights transit’s role in regional mobility, equity and local economy and provides a public reminder as council and staff discuss local transportation and accessibility issues.

Additional public comment

During public comment, District 1 resident Paul Romich urged the city to invest in better transit stops and amenities — noting, for example, that the stop in front of the senior activity center lacks a bench or shelter — and recommended improvements to increase comfort and reliability.

Ending

The council presented the proclamation to Pierce Transit and invited continued partnership on improving service and local transit amenities.