But about half of the money comes with a specific condition attached: Transit agencies must let people 18 and under board buses and trains  free.

Agencies that adopt a zero-fare-for-youth policy by Oct. 1 can receive their cut of $1.45 billion in new transit support grants. Agencies that don’t adopt such a policy will not qualify.

The requirement is embedded in a new statewide transportation package, which will spend $17 billion on bridges, highways, transit, and bike and pedestrian improvements between now and 2038.

State Sen. Marko Liias, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said his goal with the youth-ride-free policy is to foster a new generation of transit riders,