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Student urges Pierce County Council to address lack of reliable transit in Northeast Tacoma
Summary
Trevion 'Tre' Parish, a college student from Northeast Tacoma, told the council that removal of bus line 63 has made travel to downtown and Tacoma Community College difficult and criticized Pierce Transit's on‑demand 'Runner' service as unreliable, urging the council to press for more equitable transportation.
Trevion Parish, a Northeast Tacoma resident and student, told the Pierce County Council on Feb. 17 that getting to downtown Tacoma and Tacoma Community College has become significantly harder since Pierce Transit eliminated bus line 63.
“My name is Trevion Parish or just Tre for short. I live in District 5… it’s just really hard to get to Downtown Tacoma from Northeast Tacoma,” he said, adding that the removed route (bus line 63) once provided a direct connection. Parish said current travel can take “around, I wanna say, 2 hours for 15 miles” and criticized Pierce Transit’s Runner on‑demand service as “one of the worst programs I think I’ve ever had to deal with as a transit rider,” calling it underfunded and unreliable.
Parish identified himself as a youth transit advocate who has participated in Tacoma city council and Pierce Transit meetings and served on a bicycle and pedestrian advisory group. He asked whether the Pierce County Council could exert pressure to improve equitable transportation countywide.
The transcript records his account and question to the council but does not record a substantive response from council members on next steps or commitments. The community forum segment closed after his remarks and the meeting adjourned.
Parish’s comments point to transit access issues affecting students and residents who rely on public transportation for education, work and regional connections. The council did not take action on the matter during the Feb. 17 meeting; the transcript shows the item remained a community comment rather than a formal agenda matter.
