Free transit/CTC students

AN ACT Relating to adding certain students at certain community 1
and technical colleges to the passengers that must be allowed to ride 2
transit for free under the transit support grant program; and 3
amending RCW 47.66.140. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 47.66.140 and 2023 c 431 s 12 are each amended to 6
read as follows: 7
(1) The department shall establish a transit support grant 8
program for the purpose of providing financial support to transit 9
agencies for operating and capital expenses only. Public transit 10
agencies must maintain or increase their local sales tax authority on 11
or after January 1, 2022, and may not delay or suspend the collection 12
of voter-approved sales taxes that were approved on or before January 13
1, 2022, in order to qualify for the grants. 14
(a) Grants for transit agencies must be prorated based on the 15
amount expended for operations in the most recently published report 16
of "Summary of Public Transportation" published by the department.17
(b) No transit agency may receive more than 35 percent of these 18
distributions. 19
(c) Fuel type may not be a factor in the grant selection process.20
H-2900.1
HOUSE BILL 2550
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Taylor, Entenman, Reed, Macri, Gregerson,
Parshley, Pollet, Leavitt, Fosse, Scott, and Bergquist
Read first time 01/16/26. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
p. 1 HB 2550
(2) To be eligible to receive a grant, the transit agency must 1
have adopted, at a minimum, a zero-fare policy that allows passengers 2
18 years of age and younger and students enrolled in a degree-seeking 3
or certificate-seeking program at a community or technical college as 4
defined in RCW 28B.50.030, to ride free of charge on all modes 5
provided by the agency. Transit agencies must submit documentation of 6
a zero-fare policy for 18 years of age and under by October 1, 2022, 7
to be eligible for the 2023-2025 biennium. Transit agencies that 8
submit such fare policy documentation following the October 1, 2022, 9
deadline shall become eligible for the next biennial distribution. To 10
the extent practicable, transit agencies shall align implementation 11
of youth and qualifying community or technical college students zero-12
fare policies with equity and environmental justice principles 13
consistent with recommendations from the environmental justice 14
council, and ensure low-barrier accessibility of the program to all 15
youth and qualifying community or technical college students.16
(3) The department shall, for the purposes of the "Summary of 17
Public Transportation" report, require grantees to report the number 18
of trips that were taken under this program. 19
(4) For the purposes of this section, "transit agency" or 20
"agency" means a city transit system under RCW 35.58.2721 or chapter 21
35.95A RCW, a county public transportation authority under chapter 22
36.57 RCW, a metropolitan municipal corporation transit system under 23
chapter 36.56 RCW, a public transportation benefit area under chapter 24
36.57A RCW, an unincorporated transportation benefit area under RCW 25
36.57.100, or any special purpose district formed to operate a public 26
transportation system. 27
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p. 2 HB 2550