LOS ANGELES – Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail service, has extended its Student Adventure Pass pilot program through the end of the 2023-24 school year. The Student Adventure Pass allows anyone with a valid student ID to ride Metrolink trains for free and launched in October initially with a planned six-month trial period.
“I’m delighted by the remarkable success of the Student Adventure Pass program, empowering students to explore our communities while embracing sustainable transportation,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “The direct feedback I have received from students and their enthusiasm for this program underscores the profound impact that removing barriers to transit can have. I thank the Metrolink Board of Directors for their continued support of our student riders and for reallocating funding to sustain the Student Adventure Pass through June.”
The Student Adventure Pass was designed to provide financial relief for students attending K-12, college and trade school institutions, while familiarizing them with the benefits of public transportation. Since the program’s inception, more than 20,000 Southern California students have taken at least one trip using the Student Adventure Pass on the mobile app, and more than 268,000 passes have been activated on the app or procured from a Metrolink ticket machine in total. Students from 409 schools across Metrolink’s service area have used the Student Adventure Pass, and student ridership last month climbed 59% compared to the same period in 2023.
College sophomore Daryush Hosseinian uses Metrolink to travel from his home in Glendora to school at Cal State LA. The biochemistry major said that having a job while juggling his challenging course load is difficult, making the Student Adventure Pass an essential part of his routine.
When asked how the Student Adventure Pass has impacted his travel decisions, Hosseinian said, “It was really inconsistent before. Tickets were close to $70 a month, which is kind of hard to do for an entire semester. I would have to ask people to carpool. (The Student Adventure Pass) is enabling a lot of people that couldn’t afford to get to classes. Every time I go, the train is basically packed, so it is (helping).”
The Student Adventure Pass pilot program, which was originally set to expire at the end of March, is funded through a generous grant from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). To support the three-month extension, on Feb. 23, the Metrolink Board of Directors approved the transfer of available grant funding set to expire at the end of the current fiscal year from another LCTOP-supported program. Metrolink is exploring additional funding sources to continue the program as a regular fixture beyond June 30.