DC Students Ride the Metro for Free
On Monday, August 17, Mayor Muriel Bowser, along with PCSB Executive Director Scott Pearson and students from Thurgood Marshall Academy and BASIS DC, kicked off the “Kids Ride Free on Rail” program for the 2015 school year by riding the Metrorail from Archives-Navy Memorial to Anacostia.
Public charter school students can now ride the bus, DC Circulator, and Metrorail for free - to and from school, and for school-related activities.
"This is a positive initiative by Mayor Bowser that makes it easier for kids to get to school,” said Scott Pearson Executive Director of the DC Public Charter School Board. "It makes it easier for parents to choose the right school for their child, wherever in the District that school may be."
For more information, visit kidsridefree.dc.gov or call DC Department of Transportation at (202) 673-1740.
About the program:
- Students ages 5 to 21, who live in the District and attend a public charter school, are eligible to enroll.
- A DC One Card is required to receive the free pass. For more information, visit dconecard.dc.gov, or contact your school.
- Students must register their DC One Cards at dconecard.dc.gov/manage. After registering, students must enroll in the Kids Ride Free programs at dconecard.dc.gov/manage by signing-in with an email address and clicking the eligibility button under the transit subsidy section.
- The Kids Ride Free on Rail will electronically load onto students’ DC One Cards starting on August 24. The pass will be available within 24 hours of registering for rail, and up to three days for bus. Students must tap their DC One Cards on the Metrorail fare gate to initially load the pass onto their DC One Cards.
- Please note that service is only available at Metrorail stops within the District of Columbia. If students exit the bus or rail at a location outside of the District, they will be required to pay an exit fare.
For the first time ever, DC public charter school students are eligible to register for free Metrorail passes.