Seattle Mayor announces free transit passes for high school students

SEATTLE — At her first “State of the City” address, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced “ORCA Opportunity” — a plan that would provide free bus passes to Seattle Public Schools high school students and Seattle Promise scholars at Seattle Colleges, Curbed Seattle reports.

Under the plan, around 15,000 students would get year-round ORCA bus passes for free that are valid on King County Metro, King County Water Taxi, Seattle Streetcar, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, and Everett Transit.

During the program’s first year, it would be funded jointly by King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation. The program will cost the city $3.8 million from the Transportation Benefit District, with $1 million from King County Metro. Officials plan for the program to launch in Fall 2018. For the full story, click here.