Kids ride free in Seattle. And in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Lynnwood, too.
September 1st has brought a statewide sweep of free public transit to Washington under Olympia’s latest transportation budget maneuverings that set aside around $1.5 billion for “local transit agencies on the condition they make trains, buses and ferries free for youth.”
In Seattle, the program is moving forward with the new-era ORCA card system. Riders 18 and younger either need to show a ORCA Youth Card or a current high school or middle school ID. Starting in 2023, riders will be required to have the new Orca cards. Metro has posted details here. Sound Transit has adopted similar rules. Washington State Ferries and Amtrak say they’ll begin their programs in October.
The financial push is hoped to be a small boost to address financial, traffic, and environmental concerns across the state amid a sprawling $17 billion state transportation budget that remains dominated by massive spending on roads and highways. Transit agencies, meanwhile, know the math is in their favor. In return for their slice of the around $1.5 billion in funding available under the program, statistics typically show young riders make up a tiny percentage of ridership on public transit systems.
Bodies like Metro and Sound Transit, meanwhile, remain reliant on so-called “fare box recovery” with revenues from riders still crucial to operations under current budgets. Don’t expect free rides for the grown-ups anytime soon.
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Bravo! Get the kids familiar with good habits early! Smart way to use public money in a way that is consistent with Seattle’s goals for being carbon neutral.
Monorail free too?
How is this fair to all of us who paid for our kids bus cards. If I had to suffer the cost of bus passes, then everyone else should too! Till the end of time! How dare progress come too late to benefit me!
They pay with their data though, right? ORCA tracks one’s travels. A truly free system would require only proof of age.