SMOKEY POINT — Even though 7-year-old Kylie Brown couldn’t reach the pedals, she grabbed the wheel of a Community Transit bus and pretended to drive.
That was after a “Transit Tales” event Wednesday organized by Community Transit and Sno-Isle Libraries, bringing young kids onto transit vehicles to hear stories and explore the buses. The children even got to break into a rendition of ‘The Wheels on The Bus’ — an apt choice.
Natalie Lawrence reads a story at a ‘Transit Tales’ event on Wednesday, Aug. 20 in Smokey Point, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Natalie Lawrence, who works with youth engagement at Community Transit, said part of the agency’s work is to give young people the knowledge they need to ride transit independently.
Ever since the state adopted the Climate Commitment Act in 2021, youth under 19 are able to ride public transit in Washington for free. Transit officials hope the education can dissuade uncertainty for children who haven’t used public buses before and encourage them to become lifelong riders.
“We’re trying to get that image across so that as they’re growing up, that will let them transition into adulthood having a great time riding the bus,” Community Transit bus driver David Scroggins said. On Wednesday, he read a story to the children, too.
It’s a doubly exciting activity for kids, said Katie Leone, a marketing official at Sno-Isle Libraries, as it combines a reading with a fun trip on a bus.
“We always want to have programs that inspire and get kids to use their imagination and have that creative spark,” Leone said.
Children listen to a story at a ‘Transit Tales’ event on Wednesday, Aug. 20, in Smokey Point, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
One of the fantastical stories children heard focused on one leopard who drove a bus, while another focused on a pigeon who dreamt of driving one. But they also, although subtly, brought up real-world issues involving transportation — referencing traffic and emissions caused by personal vehicles as well as the environmental concerns that come with car-centric urban design.
“My hope is that they leave with kind of a better understanding that not everyone needs a car in their life, and not everyone can even have a car in their life. That doesn’t have to be something that limits those people from doing anything they want to do,” Lawrence said. “Transit really is a way that everyone can access more opportunity.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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