Seattle transit tax renewal would double rate and add free ORCA passes
Seattle is weighing a 10-year transit renewal that would raise the sales tax to 0.30%, fund more bus trips and expand free ORCA access if voters approve.
Seattle is weighing a new 10-year transit funding package that would raise the city’s transit sales tax from 0.15% to 0.30% if the City Council sends it to voters and they approve it. The proposal would renew and expand the Seattle Transit Measure.
Mayor Katie Wilson‘s office says the package would fund about 280,000 King County Metro bus trips a year. City officials say the added money is intended to support more bus service and better reliability for Seattle riders.
The plan also would expand fare help. Seattle says it would provide 22,000 free ORCA passes for qualifying riders. The Seattle Housing Authority says its current ORCA card program runs through 2026 while the city works through the renewal process.
The mayor’s office estimates the higher tax would cost the median two-person Seattle household about $58 a year. City documents frame the measure as a 10-year package if the council and voters both sign off.
The Seattle City Council’s Select Committee on Seattle Transportation Benefit District was scheduled to review the measure on June 4, 2026, so the immediate question is whether it advances toward a November 2026 ballot referral. For Seattle riders, workers and taxpayers, the debate comes down to more transit service and broader fare access versus a higher local sales tax.
