Back to School: Free Rides To Require Tap Card or App
EUGENE, Ore. —(Aug. 25, 2021)— Area public and private school students in grades Kindergarten through 12th Grade have until Oct. 31, 2021, to get a tap card or the new Umo Mobility app to continue riding for free aboard Lane Transit District (LTD) buses.
“The tap card and the new Umo Mobility app are available for free at local schools. Both can be loaded with the necessary bus pass to provide free fare for students,” said Cammie Harris, an LTD marketing representative who coordinates the Student Transit Pass program with private schools and public school districts. “The Student Transit Pass is aimed to assist families with transportation costs and help students access extracurricular activities, work, and school.”
Once loaded with “free fare,” the free bus pass is good from Sept. 1, 2021, until Sept. 30, 2022. The Rhody Express in Florence, Cottage Grove Connector, and the Diamond Express to Oakridge are excluded from the Student Transit Pass program.
“The tap card and app allow LTD to track how many students use the free bus pass, so the District can report back to state grantmakers that the service is needed, used, and embraced by the community,” Harris said. “LTD’s free student bus pass program supplements school bus service already provided to many students by the area’s public school districts.”
Until they have the tap card or app, young people should inform the bus operator they are students to continue riding the bus for free through the end of October. More information about the Student Transit Pass is here.
Free student transit fares are made available through a grant to LTD from the state of Oregon’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) approved through House Bill 2017.
As a reminder, federal mandates require that all passengers wear a mask covering their face and nose when using public transit, including on LTD buses and the District’s property.
About Lane Transit District (LTD)
LTD provides more than 10 million boardings per year on its buses and EmX Bus Rapid Transit line in Lane County, Oregon. Encompassing the Eugene-Springfield metro area, LTD is a special district of the State of Oregon and led by a seven-member board of directors appointed by Oregon’s governor. LTD also operates RideSource, a paratransit service for people with disabilities, and numerous transportation options programs to promote sustainable travel county wide.
