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TRANSACTIONS NEWSLETTER ONLINE

January 2002

East Bay Youths to Test Free Bus Pass

Finally -- a test students really want to take! MTC last month authorized a pilot program to determine whether free transit passes will increase low-income students' school attendance and their participation in community after-school programs.

As part of the deliberations surrounding the 2001 Regional Transportation Plan, MTC agreed to help subsidize free bus passes for students who participate in the free and reduced-price lunch program at middle schools and high schools throughout the AC Transit service area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. AC Transit also plans to cut the price of monthly bus passes for all other middle and high school students to $15 from the current $27.

MTC will tap its Low-Income Flexible Transportation Program to provide up to $2 million for the two-year pilot program. AC Transit will be responsible for assembling an equal amount of matching funds from local sources.

MTC will evaluate the degree to which fare subsidy programs sponsored by AC Transit and other transit agencies help improve school attendance. In a related effort, MTC will launch a Transportation Affordability Study in 2002 that will evaluate the needs of low-income travelers across the board.
-- John Goodwin

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