Students can take the OC bus system anywhere, at any time
Huntington Beach, Calif.,— Transportation and education officials gathered on the campus of Golden West College on Wednesday to mark the expansion of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s student bus pass program, allowing enrolled students to travel free on any OC Bus.
The student program allows full-time and part-time students enrolled at the college 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, allowing them to get to school, to work, or wherever the bus travels across Orange County.
The first of its kind in the Coast Community College District, the program will helped increase ridership, introduced new riders to public transit and allowed access to higher education for students, some who say they wouldn’t be able to attend college without it.
“We know that many of our students struggle to get to and from our campus,” said Golden West College President Tim McGrath. “This partnership is proof of our commitment to increase access to Golden West College, for our students and the community we serve. It has already begun to pave the road to academic success for so many of our students.”
Funding for the three-year pilot program is a partnership between OCTA and Golden West College. For the first year, the cost of the program is funded through a grant OCTA was awarded from state cap-and-trade funds, available through the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program.
For the second and third years, the Associated Students of Golden West College will cover the cost, with no additional student fees.
“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.
The typical cost to ride the OC Bus system is $2 per ride, $5 for a day pass, or $185 for a full-semester student bus pass, so students who ride the bus through OCTA’s student bus pass program see substantial savings over the course of the semester.
To learn more, visit OCbus.com/gwc, or goldenwestcollege.edu.
