From Curbed Seattle:
Back in June, Seattle officially launched the “ORCA Opportunity” program with free bus passes for Seattle public high schoolers and some Seattle Colleges students. This year, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced in her State of the City address Tuesday, the program will be expanded to some of the lowest-income Seattle residents living in Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) properties.
ORCA Opportunity uses existing Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) funds, which come from a voter-approved sales-tax increase and car-tab fee and pay for expanded transit service in and around Seattle. The program directs some of that money toward free, year-round ORCA bus passes, valid on most area public transit agencies. So far, about 14,500 high schoolers and Seattle Promise scholars have participated in the program, according to the mayor’s office.
Read Curbed Seattle's article “Seattle will provide free transit for some low-income residents,” featuring the Seattle Housing Authority.