Free Fare Program: A Student’s Golden Ticket

For sore-footed students with empty pockets and no driving licence, an alternative method of getting to and from school has finally been created. The Culver City Bus is now launching the Free Fare Program for all students in Culver City Unified School District to ride public transportation for free! These unlimited rides are applicable to Culver City Bus, LA Metro Bus and Rail, and LADOT Dash. 

Students may pick up their TAP card by going to the CCUSD front office. Before usage, TAP cards must be registered through either of these methods: Register online on the Tap website, call TAP at 866-TAPTOGO, or use a smartphone camera on the QR code to activate online. If the student is already registered for the TAP K-12 Reduced Fare, they will need to pick up the new Fareless K-12 card if they want to participate in the new program.

Transit is not exclusive to rides to and from school, providing students a quick and efficient way of transport to their after-school activities and weekend festivities. As of now, the program is set to last until June 30, 2022, wrapping up just around the end of the school year. 

“The funny thing is that I actually have a license,” said one student at CCHS. “But, if my mom can’t pick me up [because] she’s at work, it’s easier for me to just catch the bus after track practice, especially with the app that lets me know the time the bus comes.”

Not only do the free TAP cards make travel more accessible, but they also bolster an environmentally friendly culture of utilizing public transport instead of driving.

“I genuinely love using public transportation,” said Ariana Moss, another student at CCHS. “It’s affordable, more environmentally friendly than driving, and it feels like I’m going on a little adventure. The school providing free TAP cards has given me an even greater incentive to ride the metro whenever I can.”

Who says the little card can’t connect students with activism either?

“Recently, I used my TAP card to take the metro to the Youth Climate Strike near LA City Hall,” Moss said, “which I probably wouldn’t have been able to go to without taking public transportation.”

All in all, the Free Fare Program is a step that reflects the school’s emboldened ambitions towards social justice. Whether the program helps a student arrive at school in the morning or speeds up the process of sipping lemonade on the beach during the weekend, it is undeniable that the once closed roads of the city now welcome the pride and equity of the CCHS community.

QR code for the K-12 Student Fareless Pass Program: