Pauline Van Senus

Last updated
Pauline Van Senus
Born1957 or 1958 (age 67–68) [1]
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Other namesTransit Fairy

Pauline Van Senus, also known as the Transit Fairy, is an American community organizer and volunteer known for cleaning and decorating transit stops in Seattle. [1] In January 2026, Van Senus administered the oath of office for the inauguration of Katie Wilson as mayor of Seattle. [2]

Van Senus is a founding member of the Transit Riders Union, [2] an organization created in 2011 to advocate for improvements to public transportation in King County. [3] In 2019, she began commuting from her home in White Center to South Lake Union to clean trash around bus stops. [4] At the time, Van Sensus worked as a house cleaner. [1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she began volunteering full time, supported by donations. [5] In June 2024, she was assaulted while volunteering and taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. She was able to return to cleaning bus stops two weeks later, saying she was "not mad" at her attacker. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Baruchman, Michelle (25 January 2021). "Seattle's 'Transit Fairy' beautifies bus stops during the COVID-19 pandemic". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 Yoon-Hendricks, Alexandra; Kroman, David (2 January 2026). "Katie Wilson sworn in as Seattle mayor: 'This is your city'". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2 January 2026. As Wilson raised her right hand, the oath as administered by Pauline Van Senus, a founding member of the Transit Riders Union and known around Seattle as the "Transit Fairy" for her work clearing trash from bus stops and other public spaces.
  3. ↑ "History of the Transit Riders Union of Seattle". Transit Riders Union. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 Detling, Dave (11 July 2024). "'I'm not mad': Seattle Transit Fairy back to work after attack". FOX 13. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Eric (4 October 2023). "Eric's Heroes: Seattle's sunflower-adorned 'Transit Fairy' spruces up city bus stops with sprinkle of magic". KOMO News. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.