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A bus at the Metro station in North Hollywood. | Photo courtesy of Cian Ginty/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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Metro’s Board of Directors Thursday approved allocating $20 million to extend its GoPass fareless pilot program for students from kindergarten through community college through June 2024.
The program provides a free transit pass for students with the aim of lowering educational costs and improving academic performance by giving students reliable means of transportation. The program has grown across the county to include more than 100 school districts and 1,400 schools.
“We extended the GoPass pilot program because it provides a better quality of life and future job growth opportunities for the most disadvantaged students in our county,” said Ara Najarian, the Glendale City Council member who chairs Metro’s Board of Directors.
The program began in October 2021 and intended to alleviate some financial pressure for Los Angeles County residents recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Families of kindergarten through 12th-grade students who participate in the GoPass program typically see a yearly savings of $288 per student compared with Metro’s previously offered reduced-fare student monthly passes.
Community college students participating in the program save $516 per year, according to Metro officials.
“The costs of transportation should never stand between our students and opportunity,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Metro board member. “All students deserve equal opportunity, and Metro is doing its part to make sure nothing keeps our students from obtaining all the benefits that good education provides.”