Since 1981, we have been preserving Seattle and King County transit history.
How it all began
The Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association(MEHVA) was founded in December of 1981 by a group of Metro employees interested in preserving a bit of our region's history. Several 1940's vintage electric trolley buses had recently been retired and were slated for scrapping. Work quickly got under way to select several representative buses to be saved. MEHVA also established itself as a bona fide organization and set up a working relationship with the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro).
Negotiations between Metro Transit and MEHVA concluded in mid 1984. The Metro Council, by resolution, established a historic bus fleet and recognized MEHVA as the fleet's curator. This resolution also set the criteria for future vehicle additions. Under this agreement, Metro would own the buses in the historic fleet, providing coverage under it's fleet self insurance, storage, and work space as it's available. MEHVA restores, maintains and operates the buses with volunteer labor and provides parts not in Metro stock.