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Text transcript from video of Metro's 30th Anniversary kickoff event
Narrator: It was a step back into Metro’s past…and a glimpse of the future.
King County Metro’s 30th anniversary kickoff brought together an amazing collection of people and artifacts from the first 30 years of operation….even Mighty Mole came out of retirement for the celebration.
From its voter-mandated start up days in 1973, Metro has grown into a national leader in public transportation.
King County Executive Ron Sims: Now 100 million boardings a year later, an organization that accounts for 60 percent of all the public transit in the entire state, their dreams of having a transit system to serve our entire county and do it incredibly well has come true.
Narrator: Attendee’s at the daylong kickoff had the chance to talk with the Metro employees who make the transit agency what it is today….employees who deliver education programs, online trip planning and ride sharing. It was an opportunity to see how much Metro has grown.
Andrea Maillet, Rideshare Operations: I think there’s a lot of people impressed in the change, even if they haven’t been around in just five years….its really been exciting, wonderful to see people.
Narrator: And see 30 years of history. Outside the Museum of History and Industry Metro displayed a fleet of buses. Dating back to the first to hit the streets….
Harold Lemmon, Metro bus driver: This is a 1959 gun bus, they use to call these a muzzleloader because they got one door, one way in and out. They were used on suburban routes in the King County area, they did run to Tacoma and Everett. The bus has an automatic transmission and is a real pleasure to drive if you’re good and strong. Narrator: But it wasn’t just the vintage buses that attracted visitors….the newest rigs also shined. Todd Gibbs, Metro bus driver: This is the newest generation of hybrid drive systems provided by alison transmissions. It combines electricity and diesel power together for better performance as well as fuel economy. Narrator: The icing on the cake may have been a presentation by the next generation of Metro riders, as two fourth graders from Soos Creek Elementary school shared their vision of buses that will fly and drive across water. Considering how far Metro’s traveled in the first 30 years….their futuristic vision might not be too far down the road. You know what they say about the wheels on the bus…. Young boy named Justin singing: The wheels on the bus go round and round.... » Return to Metro at 30: What a ride! |
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