With free fare for those 18 and under, youth have unlocked the freedom to Go All the Places, and Do All the Things!
We’re proud to share with you the positive response from youth and community, one year into Free Youth Transit Pass. Youth can ride for free by using a Youth ORCA card, showing a student ID, or just getting on board on transit systems across the region.
With a broad effort to encourage youth to ride public transportation, King County Metro estimates that more than 7 million rides were taken by youth under age 19 on Metro buses since the Free Youth Transit Pass launched Sept. 1, 2022 and through Aug. 31, 2023.
Metro’s Youth Mobility Program worked with schools and at events across the county to spread the word and distribute ORCA cards, contacting more than 20,000 students at 41 schools in the first year of the effort. In all, more than 44,000 Youth ORCA cards were distributed in King County.
Through combined efforts with our agency partners across the region, providing a free youth fare saves families hundreds of dollars a year and gives mobility and freedom to young people. Visit FreeYouthTransitPass.com to learn more and get a free Youth ORCA card.
Want to help spread the word about Free Youth Transit Pass in your school or community? Download our flyers and social media toolkit here: Free Youth Transit Pass community social media toolkit.
Stay in touch with Metro’s Youth Mobility program by signing up for our newsletter: Metro Youth Mobility Program Newsletter.
In addition to older youth students, this must be a great help to families with young children who can get about more freely and with less expense.
Hello, I’m Laura Hawksworth, a student at North Creek High School in Bothell. I’m seeking to do evaluation research on the effect of the free ORCA pass on youth transit ridership in King County. I noticed the article highlighted youth ridership rising since the introduction of the youth pass in 2022. Since the data provided were estimates, does King County Metro currently collect youth ridership data? If so, would I have to obtain it through a public records request? Access to youth ridership on data in 2021, 2022, and 2023 would be very valuable to my research. I would also appreciate any direction to other relevant resources. Thank you!
Laura, I’ll get in touch with you and connect you with our team!–Jeff Switzer, Metro Communications