Southern California students with a valid student ID can ride Metrolink for free through next summer after the passenger rail service renewed its popular Student Adventure Pass program.
The pass allows any student in K-12, trade schools or colleges, to travel anywhere on Metrolink’s 545-mile service area free of charge.
The program was introduced in October 2023 and has proven to be a hit with students, many of whom have never taken the regional train service before.
“The program has delivered much-needed financial relief for tens of thousands of Southern California students who can apply those cost savings to food, rent and other educational expenses such as books and school supplies,” said Metrolink Board Chair Larry McCallon. “By introducing a new generation to our region’s public transportation network, the Student Adventure Pass is also laying the groundwork for a more sustainable, less car-dependent future.”
On Friday, Metrolink’s Board of Directors approved the program on a one-year extension. It was set to expire Sunday following the conclusion of the nine-month pilot program.
Since its launch, the pass has been used more than 500,000 times, Metrolink says. More than 32,000 students from 557 schools have registered for the program, which can be done through the Metrolink app or at a ticket machine at a station.
Students are becoming a major part of Metrolink’s ridership totals, with estimates showing that they account for about one-quarter of all riders — up from 16% in 2023.
CEO Darren Kettle said during a media event Friday that he’s done his own outreach to students during his regular train trips.
“If we were able, if we’re gonna be able to make this free for you, what would it mean?” Kettle said, describing a past interaction with some Cal State Los Angeles students on a Metrolink train. “And it was like, ‘Oh, this would be the best thing ever; it could never happen.'”
He said some of those same students reached out to him months later after the program’s successful launch. “She said, ‘I thought you were lying,'” Kettle said with a laugh.
The pilot program was made possible after Metrolink “cobbled together” grant funding for it.
“It was such a success that we started to run out of money, and we had to take some money from another program,” Kettle said.
This time around, the program is being supported by grant funding, but with additional backing from Metrolink’s five member agencies: LA Metro, the Orange County Transportation Authority, the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and the Ventura County Transportation Commission.
“Our member agencies, the five counties, have all seen the wisdom of the program … if you get young people into transit early, you make a transit user for life,” Kettle said.
Students will need to present an active ticket and student ID card if asked to show proof of fare. Metrolink tickets also provide free transfers to LA Metro, among other local transit agencies.
For more information about the Student Adventure Pass program, click here.