SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane City Council members will consider a proposal to offer free bus fares during Expo ‘74 50th anniversary celebrations on Thursday.
According to the city, the reduction in Spokane Transit Authority (STA) fares would be funded by a combination of municipal and federal resources, including $100,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson serves on the STA board along with fellow council members Zack Zappone, Kitty Klitzke and Paul Dillon. The board will vote on the proposal on Thursday.
Wilkerson anticipates the program’s success and hopes it will highlight Spokane’s public transportation system.
“The promotional free-fare program has garnered widespread support from many elected officials and community leaders…we received a letter from Washington Senate Transportation Chair, Senator Marko Liias, encouraging us to support a free-rate fare indicating other transit agencies have executed similar successful programs,” Wilkerson said.
Mayor Lisa Brown expressed her support for the free fares in a Wednesday statement.
“Providing free fares during the Expo 50 celebration provides an opportunity to include everyone in the upcoming festivities, create a new generation of bus riders, and help us in our goal to reduce carbon emissions,” Brown said.
Expo ‘74 was the first World’s Fair with an environmental theme and highlighted the importance of ecological conservation.
