Metro Expands Student Discounts To Part-Time College Students

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — College students in the Los Angeles area can now apply for cheaper Metro fares when they register for full- or part-time class loads, transportation officials said Monday.

Under a two-year pilot program launched by Metro this year, college students will be able to add a reduced fare sticker to their student identification cards that they can use in place of TAP boarding passes.

The U-Pass, or Universal College Student Fare pass, was approved by the Metro board in May, and is now available to students who are taking at least eight credits worth of classes.

Student passes previously had only been available to full-time students and were typically not part of the class registration process.

"The reforms Metro has made to this program this year benefit both the agency and students," Metro board Chair John Fasana said. "As students strive for a higher education, they now can have access to efficient and affordable public transportation while giving Metro a great opportunity to increase ridership and encourage the use of public transit."

Metro board officials promoted the program today by issuing the 1,500th U-Pass to a Cal State Northridge student.

The program is available to students taking classes within the Los Angeles Community College District, California State University and University of California (UC) systems, as well as at private universities and vocational colleges.

Participating colleges include Rio Hondo College, Los Angeles Trade Tech College, the California Institute of Technology and Pasadena City College.

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