Washington’s most populous county OKs free transit for youth

SEATTLE (AP) — People age 18 and under will ride buses, water taxis and streetcars for free in Washington state’s most populous county starting Sept. 1. The Seattle Times reports the King County Council unanimously approved the plan Thursday. The vote kicks off an effort to get as many public transit cards into the hands of young people as possible. The new policy is comes after a nearly $17 billion transportation funding package passed by state lawmakers in Washington’s 2022 legislative session, with almost exclusively Democratic votes. The state transportation package includes $3 billion for transit, about half of which only goes to local transit agencies if they adopt policies to make ridership free for young people.