Culture & Values
Values
We believe that what makes us great as an organization is our people and a shared mission that puts our passengers at the center of everything we do. But equally important is how we attain that goal – through collaboration, inclusion, and respect, and by holding ourselves to a higher standard of safety and quality.
The following values are the principles that guide us:
- Collaboration: We share each other’s successes and challenges and invite involvement of all toward achievement of common goals. We are one agency; no single department defines our business.
- Passenger Focus: We always start with our passengers’ needs and work back from there. They are the focus of everything we do.
- Inclusion & Respect: We foster a culture where everyone is treated fairly, where diverse perspectives are welcomed, and every voice is heard.
- Safety: We ensure the safest transit trip and work environment for every rider, employee, and contractor, each and every day.
- Integrity: We build trust by keeping commitments and taking ownership—demonstrating honesty, accountability, and transparency throughout.
- Quality: As stewards of public resources, we do our best work every single day and take great pride in the efficient, sustainable, and equitable delivery of our services and projects.
Vision, Mission & Strategic Plan
Sound Transit's five-year Strategic Plan for 2023-2027 outlines our agency's vision, mission and two strategic priorities:
- Great Ride: Deliver a safe, welcoming and equitable passenger experience.
- One ST: Transform culture to enable unity and focus.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We know that a diverse workforce makes us stronger as a company and we are committed to an inclusive and equitable workplace where every person is valued, and every voice is heard. Learn more about the Office of Civil Rights, Equity & Inclusion.
Employee Groups
Our differences make us stronger, smarter and more compassionate toward one another. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) build communities within Sound Transit, where we can share our experiences, celebrate our heritage and backgrounds, and lift each other up to succeed.
ERGs at Sound Transit include Blacks Empowering Success in Transit (BEST), Latinx in Transportation (LIT), Pride (LGBTQ+ & Allies), Sound Transit Pacific Islander Asian American Members (SPAM) and Women Empowering Sound Transit (WEST), Abled & Disabled Allies Partnering Together (ADAPT), Anti-racist Community (ARC), Native American & Indigenous, Parent & Families and Veterans.
Get to know the Employee Resource Groups at Sound Transit:
Mission: Serve as a platform for the advancement of goals, policy and ideals unique and common to African American professional interests at Sound Transit.
Mission: Promote the representation of the Latinx community throughout Sound Transit by fostering recruitment, retention and advancement. Give back to the community and increase the visibility of the rich diversity of Latinx community in the Puget Sound region.
Mission: Empower Sound Transit employees to live our values of equity and inclusion by advocating for an agency culture that welcomes and honors LGBTQ+ perspectives, to benefit employees and serve the needs of transit passengers and our community.
Mission: Increase the engagement, cultural awareness and professional development of our Asian and Pacific Islander staff and assist in supporting programs to reach and serve the AAPI community as well as all Sound Transit employees.
To support gender equity at Sound Transit by increasing awareness of issues facing women and helping to counteract these impacts by empowering women, educating staff, developing allies and working collaboratively with agency leaders to promote systemic change.
Mission: To serve as an internal resource to raise awareness, identify barriers, and find solutions to achieve true equity in the workplace for individuals with diverse abilities.
Mission: To foster a sense of community and belonging, celebrate diverse cultures and bring awareness to issues that impact Native American & Indigenous communities. Our work is dedicated to education, engagement and knowledge sharing that respects and celebrates indigenous peoples and their cultures.
Mission: To build a community of support, share resources, and promote work-life balance with colleagues who are juggling working and parenting, co-parenting, and caregiving. This group is for all facets of family life, from being a new parent to caring for kids and aging parents.
Mission: To support and celebrate employees with current or prior military service and their families, and to enhance professional development and growth to improve Veteran recruitment and retention in the workplace.
