More than 4,600 students with access to the StrIDe program are using it, according to the latest Nashville MTA youth ridership numbers.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced the program at his State of Metro address last May, and Nashville MTA and Metro Public Schools implemented the program at the start of this current school year. Students in grades 9 through 12 can ride MTA buses at no cost simply by showing their school authorized student ID.
“Giving high school students the freedom to access city buses opens up opportunities for them to go to school, internships, jobs and other activities,” Mayor Dean said. “These ridership numbers show that our students appreciate transportation options, and I believe this partnership with MTA and Metro Schools will lead to even more young people learning about mass transit and riding city buses to get where they need to go.”
In October and November, nearly 21 percent of students with access to the StrIDe program used the service on school days. The numbers also indicate that students are utilizing it on weekends with Saturday ridership averaging 1,393 and Sunday ridership averaging 894 passenger trips. Average daily ridership of students using their StrIDe card during Metro Schools’ fall break in October was 1,785.
“Total youth ridership has increased 8 percent, and that’s a good thing,” MTA CEO Steve Bland said. “The StrIDe program has helped introduce public transit to a new audience that hopefully will use bus service continually as a reliable and efficient form of transportation.”
Youth riders presently make up more than 22 percent of Nashville MTA customers.
“We believe that as the students become more familiar with the opportunities that the StrIDe program offers, more will take advantage of it,” Bland added.
The youth transit program was an idea that was championed in Metro's 2010 child and youth master plan by Councilman Ronnie Steine. In its 2013 education report card, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce recommended expanded youth mobility to allow for more school choice. This pilot program was developed from these two initiatives.
“We are grateful for the partnership with MTA,” Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register said. “StrIDe gives students more equitable choices in high school, allowing them to choose what they study based on their individual interests, not their zip code. This is a great start with thousands of students taking advantage of the opportunity. We know it will only continue to grow.”
