Your Pass Across the Puget Sound: Youth ride free starting Sept. 1
Excited to ride transit for free starting in September? We are!
Starting Sept. 1, anyone 18 and under can ride Kitsap Transit buses and ferries for free!
It’s not just KT – young people will be able to ride public transit for free across the region. King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit and Pierce Transit will all offer free rides to people age 18 and younger starting Sept. 1. Youth can ride free on Washington State Ferries beginning Oct. 1.
During the month of September only Kitsap Transit is allowing parents accompanying their children to ride fare-free on all of our services. Our hope is this will get kids excited about the prospect of using transit and help youth (and parents) get comfortable with the system.
Parents, make sure you don’t tap your ORCA card when riding with your child during the month of September. Youth with ORCA cards should tap their cards.
How does the Free Youth Transit Pass work?
Kitsap Transit will distribute Youth ORCA cards to Kitsap County school districts. You can also pick up a card at Kitsap Transit’s Customer Service Office at the Bremerton Transportation Center.
Youth should tap their ORCA card when they board one of our buses or ferries; but you won’t be turned away if you don’t have an ORCA card. Keep an eye on Kitsap Transit social media channels, the Headways blog and our website for more information about how Youth ORCA cards will be distributed.
Youth ORCA cards that are not registered will stop working after June 30, 2023. Once registered, Youth ORCA cards will be valid for free transit until the customer’s 19th birthday, after which it will turn into an Adult ORCA card.
How to get a Youth ORCA card
Contact your school! Kitsap Transit will distribute cards to participating local school districts for students aged 13 and older upon request.
Pick one up from Kitsap Transit’s Customer Service Office (10 Washington Avenue at Bremerton Transportation Center). The office is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Please bring proof of age, such as a student ID, birth certificate, passport or driver’s license.
Already have a card? Here’s how to register:
Visit FreeYouthTransitPass.com to register your card after Sept. 1.
Visit our Customer Service Office in Bremerton and bring a copy of your student ID or alternative proof of age, such as birth certificate, passport or driver's license.
We’ll be putting out more information on the Youth Pass as it becomes available. For the latest info, sign up for our Rider Alerts! Click this link, enter your email and select “Free Youth Transit Pass” from the menu.
What is the Free Youth Pass and where did it come from?
The Free Youth Transit Pass program was made possible by Move Ahead Washington – a $16.9 billion transportation package passed by the Legislature in March 2022. The package includes investments in public transportation, carbon reduction, multimodal expansion, hybrid-electric ferries, ultra-high-speed rail, complete streets and local transit projects.
Move Ahead Washington incentivized local public transit agencies to provide free rides to youth by tying funding to a free youth transit pass. Kitsap Transit will receive an estimated $4.7 million/year in grant funding over the next 16 years after Kitsap Transit’s board of commissioners passed a resolution in July approving the fare-free policy.
If you have questions, contact Kitsap Transit’s customer service at 360.377.2877 or 800.501.RIDE.