All 450,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are now able to ride the Metro for free, a result of a partnership with the city of L.A., the L.A. Metro and LAUSD.
The mayor, along with Supervisor Hilda Solis and Interim LAUSD Superintendent Megan K. Reilly, made the announcement Friday at Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High School in Crenshaw.
"A free card in the hands of every L.A. student will be a game-changer for our students," Reilly said, adding that a free pass gives students access to a world of opportunity, including museums, internships and jobs.
Solis, who is the chair of the Metro Board of Directors, said the majority of students in LAUSD come from communities of color, with 80 percent of households living below the poverty line.
"Our transit ridership consists of mostly Black and Latino community members with incomes of less than $18,000 a year," Solis said. "Removing costs will lead to positive outcomes...having access to low-cost transportation is key to student success."
All students in LAUSD will be eligible to ride the bus and rail lines for free through June 30, 2023 as a result of the partnership.
The two-year pilot program is part of Metro’s Fareless System Initiative, which allows K-12 and community college students to ride transit without the worry of paying fares.
The free rides will include rides to participating schools, for trips after school and for weekend travel, with no requirements on days or times for us.
Garcetti said the initiative is personal because he used to ride RTD every day after school — to the library, musuems and later, his first job.
“Things aren't fair for everybody here," he said. "But making this fareless will make things just a little bit more fair for us all, regardless of zip code, regardless of color, regardless of community that we grow up in — we deserve the chance to do whatever we want.”
Garcetti has spent three terms as Chair of the Metro Board of Directors, where he has advocated for fareless transportation for riders of all ages, according to a statement shared by his office. Under his leadership, the agency has lobbied for and received nearly $7 billion in federal funding and over $4 billion in State funding for local transportation projects.
Related
Related
