More than 400,000 students in Los Angeles have signed up for the Metro GoPass program, which offers unlimited free rides on buses and trains, Metro announced.
The program is available to students at more than 1,600 participating elementary and secondary schools and community colleges in 125 school districts, including Los Angeles Unified. As of June, Metro has recorded more than 40 million students accommodated through the program.
“Transportation needs should not interfere with any student’s education,” Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Janice Hahn said in a statement. “For many students and their families across Los Angeles County, free Metro rides through our GoPass program have made all the difference.”
Participating schools distribute Metro TAP cards to their students, which they can use on all Metro buses and rail, as well as services provided by 15 other transit agencies, including Culver CityBus, Glendale Beeline, Long Beach Transit and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus. Students can also use a virtual TAP card on the TAP LA mobile app.
K-12 students make up 67% of those enrolled in the program, while community college students make up 24% and vocational students enrolled in LAUSD’s Adult and Career Education Division make up 9%, according to Metro spokeswoman Tracy Smith.
Created in 2021 as a two-year pilot program, GoPass received approval for a one-year extension in 2023 for $20 million before becoming permanent in April of this year. The program’s reach has expanded rapidly over the past three years and now includes districts such as ABC Unified, Compton Unified and El Segundo Unified. Some districts previously cited the cost of the program and a lack of transit-using enrollees as a barrier to enrollment.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' motion to make GoPass permanent also directed Metro staff to explore opportunities to provide unlimited free rides to income-eligible riders through Metro's Low Income Fare Is Easy, or LIFE, program.
LIFE is currently offering unlimited free rides for the first 90 days and 20 free regional rides per month thereafter to Los Angeles County residents who meet income limits. For a single-person household, that limit is $48,550 per year.
Students whose schools do not participate in the GoPass program can still apply for a LIFE Card or a reduced-fare TAP Card.
“These young people are helping Metro increase the number of students riding and realize all the benefits that a safe, clean and efficient transportation system can bring to them and their communities,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming even more students to our system in the upcoming school year.”
Pressure to increase ridership and reduce criminal and drug-related activity on Metro trains and buses has been mounting, according to a USC Dornslife survey, as safety concerns appear to be deterring some former riders. On Monday, a man was charged with attempted murder in an attack at a Pasadena Metro station last week.
In June, the agency's board of directors voted unanimously to spend $193 million a year to create a Metro transit police force to patrol the system and combat crime.
