By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Because of the Move Ahead Washington statewide funding package, every young person 18 and younger will now be able to ride free on King County Metro buses. With the significant changes due to COVID, inflation and just plain poverty in some cases, parents have one less expense to worry about thanks to this funding.
Spearheaded by Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, the King County Council has ushered in legislation that will help young people, students and their families save money in these trying times.
The Free Youth Transit Pass legislation was unanimously passed by the County Council just in time for the beginning of a new school year.
“The free youth pass will save a ton of money for some families, help connect young people with jobs and a world of opportunity, will eliminate the challenges of youth fare enforcement, and hopefully motivate the next generation to get out of cars and into clean green transit,” said Upthegrove.
According to King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, this new system will allow young people to freely move around the county and have access to jobs, schools and other activities.
“Zero Youth Fare will open opportunities for so many youths in King County—to jobs, to education, to health, to sports, and to so much more,” says Zahilay. “King County recognizes that mobility is a human right, and I’m proud to be a part of removing barriers to mobility and mass transit for our communities. This is an important investment in our youth, our communities, and our futures.”
“We know that the ability to move throughout our region easily and efficiently improves opportunity in life,” says Upthegrove. “This is as true for our county’s youth as it is for our workers. The new Free Youth Transit Pass program will further enable mobility for getting to school and anywhere else, all while not costing our often-overburdened youth a cent.”
The new system, which started on September 1, will replace the current fare system that charges $1.50 for non-discounted youth ages 6-18. Under the state’s recently adopted Move Ahead Washington package, King County Metro is now eligible for an estimated $31.7 million in grant funding. This revenue, according to officials, far exceeds the roughly $10 million in annual fares collected from youth under age 19.
King County Metro will now begin developing a program to distribute ORCA cards across the County and will launch an information campaign based on school and community outreach. Any youth, including students, who currently have an ORCA card can hold onto it and begin using it in the fall as their Free Youth Transit Pass. Any expiration date on the card will be extended.
“Free youth transit passes on Metro transit means more King County youth will gain the independence and skills to travel to school and regular activities, explore new destinations across King County, and visit with friends,” says King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci. “All without needing a ride from parents or caregivers. Starting in September, everyone under 19 years of age can enjoy this newfound transit freedom at no cost.”
