OCTA’s College Bus Pass Program puts a fresh spin on the tradition of riding the bus to school by allowing enrolled students at participating colleges to ride any OC Bus for free.
Fullerton College is the latest to join the program. More than 17,000 bus boardings have been recorded in the first three weeks since the program launched there.
Last week, transportation and education officials marked the expansion of the program to Fullerton College. “This program is not only helping students discover how affordable and convenient public transportation can be, it is also helping them access education and achieve their dreams,” said OCTA Chairman Tim Shaw, also a La Habra Councilman.
Funding for the three-year pilot program at Fullerton College is a partnership between OCTA and the college. For the first year, the cost of the program is funded through grants OCTA was awarded from state cap-and-trade funds, available through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, and from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).
For the second and third years, Fullerton College students voted to pay a small fee as part of their registration to help cover the cost.
Other program participants include Santa Ana, Santiago Canyon, and Golden West colleges. Since OCTA’s College Bus Pass Program began at Santa Ana College in 2017, more than 2.3 million boardings have been recorded and more than 14,000 students have ridden the bus.
The student program allows full-time and part-time students enrolled at the colleges to download a free pass via the OC Bus app or to use their student identification cards to ride free on the regular OC Bus system to school, to work, or wherever the bus travels across Orange County.
This effort is part of OCTA’s OC Bus 360° initiative that enhances bus service in Orange County by maximizing existing resources and tailoring transit solutions to better meet the needs of the public.