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Resident tells Pierce County Council Northeast Tacoma needs better transit; criticizes Pierce Transit 'Runner' service
Summary
At the Feb. 17 Pierce County Council meeting, a Northeast Tacoma resident urged action on transportation equity after Pierce Transit removed bus line 63 and criticized the agency's on-demand 'Runner' service as unreliable for time‑sensitive trips to college and work.
At the Pierce County Council’s community forum on Feb. 17, 2026, a resident from District 5 urged the council to address transportation gaps in Northeast Tacoma after the removal of bus line 63. The commenter said that trips that used to be shorter now can take about two hours to travel roughly 15 miles and that the change has made in-person access to Tacoma Community College and other destinations difficult for students and other riders.
The commenter, who gave his name as Tre (Trevampersh), described himself as a youth advocate and a former youth member of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Technical Advisory Group. He told the council Pierce Transit’s on-demand "Runner" service is "one of the worst programs I think I’ve ever had to deal with as a transit rider," calling the service underfunded and unreliable for riders who must reach destinations on a schedule. "It can be two hours, and you're gonna be requesting a ride for, like, one or the entire two hours," he said, describing lengthy waits and limited usefulness for students and workers.
Tre asked whether the Pierce County Council could apply pressure to improve equitable transportation across the county, including Northeast Tacoma and District 5. The chair thanked him for his comments; the transcript records no substantive policy response or commitment at the meeting.
Community forum comments concluded and the council adjourned; the chair reminded members of a committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled the next morning at 9:30 a.m.
