On Wednesday, the Everett City Council unanimously approved the acquisition of Everett Transit by Community Transit. It is a historic change, but not an unprecedented one. Rather, it is the latest chapter in Everett’s long, bumpy transit journey.

Through the decades, Everett has never clung to a transit model out of nostalgia. We’ve always changed systems when the world changed around us. If anything, we may have held on too long this time, and holding on much longer would not have been good stewardship.

Everett’s transit history has been pragmatic rather than ideological. And nothing in civic life is more ideological or romantic than mass transit. We love the idea of it. But loving it and living with it are two different things. The question has always been simple: “What transit model best serves Everett right now?”

Mass transit in Everett started before Everett was even a city. In the 1890s, the Everett business community and East Coast investors knew American cities were built around rail. So, private industry developed a seven-mile streetcar system to serve workers and our working waterfront.

By the 1920s, the moment had changed and the last streetcar rolled down Hewitt in 1932. Everett’s streets filled with cars and buses. A handful of bus companies operated until Everett City Lines was established in 1939. All of them were private operations.

By the 1960s, federal money flowed to public agencies, not private ones — a problem if you’re a private bus company. Everett City Lines couldn’t access those dollars. The business model collapsed.

In 1969, Everett City Lines told the City of Everett it could no longer operate without public intervention. Everett voters were given a choice: let the bus system die or buy it. They chose to buy it, and Everett Transit was created.

Through this transit journey, Everett’s loyalty has always been to service, not structure. The vehicle changes. The mission doesn’t.

In 1893, the answer was streetcars. In 1939, private bus service. In 1969, municipal transit. In 2027, regional transit.

For over 50 years, Everett Transit was more than a transportation system. The people behind the wheel, on the radio, and behind the scenes deserve recognition and gratitude.

A thriving city must innovate. Letting Everett Transit simply bump along would not have been good stewardship. Cities comparable to Everett are well served by regional transit systems. We need direct connections to South County. Everett Transit also could not continue without a tax increase, which voters rejected in 2018. Simply put, today’s transportation needs are bigger than any one city can meet alone.

Stewardship requires adaptation. Our existing transit structure is no longer the right fit for today’s transportation needs. Institutions that prioritize their own preservation over their public purpose eventually lose sight of the people they were created to serve. Transit agencies are tools, not ends in themselves.

Everett Transit served Everett well, but regional transit is now the best route.

Everett succeeds when it connects to larger systems without losing its identity. This city has never thrived by standing apart from larger networks. The transit merger is the latest example of that principle.

The lesson of Everett’s transit history is not that every system lasts forever. None have. The lesson is that Everett has never confused the mission with the method. Streetcars, private bus lines, Everett Transit, and now Community Transit were all entrusted with the same mission.

We are joining your fleet, Community Transit, and at this stop you’re picking up more than riders. You’re bringing aboard over 130 years of Everett transit history, expectations, and lessons learned. Keep serving our city with excellence, maintain the high level of service for those with limited mobility, and take care of our neighbors who have spent decades keeping Everett moving.

Since 1893, Everett has judged transit by one measure: Does it serve our people? We expect nothing less from you today.

Mason Rutledge, @livelifeontherutledge, is a writer, speaker and coach.