CULVER CITY, Calif. — A new initiative allows some local students to ride public transportation for free.
Now, T-K to 12th graders in certain school districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District and Culver City Unified School District, are receiving special TAP cards giving them free access to LA Metro, Culver CityBus and other transportation lines.
Culver City High School junior Jason Gurkee is taking public transportation for the first time to and from school this year.
“It was convenient and it was free,” he said.
The Culver CityBus launched a pilot program allowing all students in the Culver City Unified School District to ride most public transit for free. The provided TAP card offers unlimited trips not only on the Culver CityBus, but on LA Metro and LADOT Dash, eliminating stress for parents like Jaon's who usually drive hours a day, getting him to class and extracurricular activities.
About 2,000 CCUSD students received a free TAP card. Jason's ride is about 30 minutes each way. In the morning, he can study for a test and on the way home he can play games like Pokémon Go.
“I was a little annoyed, like, ‘Oh man. I have to take the bus.’ But after the second time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is easy.’ So it worked out,” said Jason.
While Culver City launched the Regional Fareless System Initiative first, due to the established partnership between the Culver CityBus and CCUSD, LA Metro says 50 additional school districts are interested in joining.
The second largest district in the country, LAUSD, actually launched its own version on Oct. 1. Now, more than 1,300 schools and more than 850,000 students from TK-12th grade are benefiting from free rides, which will greatly help, especially those in underserved areas. They can explore the city on weekends, attend internships and jobs, or just know they have a safe way home from school without worrying how to pay for it.
The participating school districts and transit agencies are paying for the program. LAUSD students can ride for free until June 30, 2023, while CCUSD students like Jason have until June 30, 2022. Each school district decides how long they want the program to last.
Steven Gurkee, Jason's father, says it is nice not having to drive an extra two to six times a day.
“It reduces the amount of trips we have to go to the school. I spend less than an hour a day when before I spent a couple hours doing it. It’s good for the pocket book. If we don’t have to drive, then we aren’t impacting traffic as much and it’s better for the environment. It’s all around better,” said Steven.
If more kids around LA are taking the bus, it alleviates pressure not only on families, but also on our streets and the environment.
Additional transit agencies and school districts plan to participate. Students can take any participating transportation service, no matter where they live. Current agencies include: City of Commerce, DASH, Foothill Transit, Gardena Transit (GTrans), Montebello Bus, Norwalk Transit, and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus.