LA Metro offers free transit passes for LAUSD students

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has announced a game-changing partnership that offers final year high school TK-12 students unlimited rides between now and June 30, 2023, at no cost to families.

Metro will provide every TK-12 student in Los Angeles Unified with a TAP card that can be used for free transit on all Metro-operated transportation as well as several adjoining municipally operated transportation providers, including Culver City, Norwalk, Downtown Area Short Hop (DASH), Montebello, and Santa Monica.

Under the proposal, LAUSD will invest approximately $1.4 million per annum for the next two years (cost sharing of $3 per student per year) to participate in Metro’s Fare-less System Initiative Phase 1 plan. It will also distribute the TAP cards, and support families with registration/ replacement processes.

“Getting free Metro TAP cards into the hands of every Los Angeles Unified student will be a game changer,” Los Angeles Unified Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly said. “Our commitment in providing free transportation will expand our students’ worldviews. They’ll be able to access additional educational opportunities such as internships, employment and other meaningful experiences and recreational activities outside of their immediate neighborhoods.”

Metro’s Fare-less System Initiative seeks to use fare-less transit as a tool to help L.A. County residents deal with the ever-rising cost of living and help recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 70 percent of Metro riders are considered low-income.

“Access to our systems should be a right, not a privilege..."

Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles

Phase 1 of the plan offers fare-less transit to K-12 and community college students in schools or districts that partner with Metro.

In September 2019, Los Angeles Unified Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III launched the first-ever “any line, any time” pilot programme for student transit passes. Funded by Just Transit, a project of the 11th Hour Project of The Schmidt Family Foundation, it provided free transit passes for the Junior Class at Manual Arts High School situated in the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z).

“This groundbreaking partnership between our agencies provides all of our students with the freedom to see and experience everything the Los Angeles region has to offer,” George J. McKenna III said. “Students can now take public transportation to community colleges, museums, libraries, beaches, and other cultural and educational destinations without cost being a barrier.”

Los Angeles Unified transports approximately 40,000 students serving communities spanning over 710 square miles. In addition to riding Los Angeles Unified yellow buses, many Los Angeles Unified students ride Metro transport to schools and beyond the school day. Efforts across the state have recently been made to address the transit needs of student populations in addition to initiatives led by Metro.

“The costs of transportation should never stand between our students and opportunity,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “Access to our systems should be a right, not a privilege, and the decision to move forward with free ridership for young Angelenos is a critical step toward a system that is accessible to every rider — regardless of zip code or income level.”

Metro is currently working with more than 30 other schools and districts to finalise contracts to offer fare-less transit to their students. Los Angeles Unified is the largest school district to participate in the programme.