It was made possible through grants from Puget Sound Energy and a new community project the company is launching. Their newest bus is a 12-seater electric bus that comes with a rapid charging station.

“Because we are an underserved community historically, that actually opens a lot of opportunities for us - funding, being the primary one,” he said. The tribe is using that mindset to take advantage of opportunities and now has a brand-new, all-electric bus as part of its fleet. “If we continually approach the issue and remind ourselves over and over again that we are an underserved, marginalized community that has not been treated equitably historically, that will dull the focus on the problems and the solutions - items that we can take action towards,” Patterson said. Patterson says the history is something they live with, but now the department’s focus is on problem solving and looking forward. KIRO 7 asked Patterson for his thoughts on the equity piece, the fact that the tribe had to rely on itself to bring sufficient public transit to the reservation. Before Muckleshoot Transportation formed, one King County Metro bus that ran once an hour served the area.

Transportation to muckleshoot casino