Seattle Mayor announces free transit passes for high school students

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.

Staff Writer・Editorial

Read Staff's Posts

February 22, 2018

Seattle Mayor announces free transit passes for high school students — Photo by Johan Bos from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/space-needle-656195/

1 min to read

Photo by Johan Bos from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/space-needle-656195/

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.

Topics:Community Transit Everett Transit King County Metro Transit Kitsap Transit mayors Pierce Transit Seattle Sound Transit Bus Management

More Management

Management•by Staff•March 19, 2026

People Movement: The Latest from TARTA, STV, and More

METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.

Management•by Staff•March 19, 2026

BART Monetizes Empty Parking With New Online Leasing Tool

BART began offering select parking lots to non-BART riders to generate new revenue to help address its FY27 $376M operating budget deficit brought on by remote work.

MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber sits with a customer service employee and takes calls.

Management•by Elora Haynes•March 19, 2026

Transit Agencies Nationwide Celebrate 2026 National Transit Employee Appreciation Day

Agencies across the U.S. honored transit workers on March 18, recognizing the essential roles they play in keeping communities moving daily.

Management•March 18, 2026

Inez Evans-Benson on Leadership and the Future of Transportation

Drawing on decades of industry experience, Evans-Benson offered insights into the differences between the two, along with tips for better customer engagement and more.

An RTC of Washoe County bus driving down Virginia Street.

Management•by Staff•March 18, 2026

Keolis Lands 3 Contract Renewals

The renewals include continued operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; the PRTC in Virginia; and RTC Washoe in Nevada.

A MARTA employee using the new Better Breeze fare ticket machines.

Management•by Staff•March 17, 2026

MARTA’s New 'Better Breeze' Fare System Nears Launch

The new system introduces tap-to-pay, touchscreen kiosks, and updated Breeze cards, with both old and new systems running through May.

A wide angle view of two MTA buses with three people walking between them.

Management•by Staff•March 16, 2026

Proposed Auto Insurance Reform Would Save New York’s MTA Millions Annually

The governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms could save the agency $48 million annually by limiting payouts in crashes where buses are not primarily at fault.

Measuring the True Cost of Paratransit Fleets

What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.

Bus•by Alex Roman•March 13, 2026

Inside The Bus Coalition’s Push for Stronger Federal Transit Investment

In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.

Management•by Staff•March 13, 2026

Des Moines DART CEO Joins Minneapolis Metro Transit

Amanda Wanke, who has worked at DART for 10 years, including the past 2½ years as CEO, will join Metro Transit as deputy chief operating officer, operations administration.

View All →