The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), city of Glendale Beeline and Glendale Community College (GCC) have partnered to offer all GCC students a free yearlong GoPass transit pass good for free rides on all L.A. Metro and Beeline buses/trains.
With this partnership, L.A. Metro is expanding its GoPass program to eight community college districts in Los Angeles County. The addition of GCC comes at a crucial time for enrollment, as more students reengage on campuses following two and a half years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The GCC GoPass benefits every single student at GCC. It helps our in-person students reengage in an on-campus environment that is such an important part of the college experience,” said GCC Board President Ann Ransford. “The pass is also an important tool for our students who continue to take their classes remotely online because they can use it for any reason and on all participating transit lines. By using it for school, work or play, the pass truly opens up a whole new world.”
“I’m so glad that Metro’s GoPass Program has finally arrived for community college students in my home city of Glendale,” said Glendale City Council Member and L.A. Metro Board Chair Ara J. Najarian. “This program is one of Metro’s most transformative efforts to help Los Angeles County students gain access to educational opportunities while helping increase Metro ridership. We want to do everything we can to encourage all community colleges in L.A. County to take advantage of this unique opportunity to provide these and other key benefits for students.”
Any GCC student taking one unit or more on the Verdugo or Garfield Campus is eligible to receive a free GCC GoPass, which allows students to ride free on Glendale Beeline, all L.A. Metro bus and rail lines, Pasadena Transit, LA County Shuttles, LADOT Dash, City of Commerce, Culver CityBus, Foothill Transit, GTrans, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus, Norwalk Transit, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and Torrance Transit.
“On behalf of Glendale City Council, we were proud to vote to fund the Beeline portion of this program,” said Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. “The city and GCC are community partners who are committed to providing all of our citizens access to education. I’ve taught at this college and have witnessed first-hand how important public transportation can be to many of these students. It can be the difference maker in terms of success. It can change the course of a person’s life for the better.”
The lack of affordable or reliable transportation is a frequently cited barrier to regular school attendance and the cost barrier to transit disproportionately impacts low-income households. L.A. Metro’s GoPass Program helps participating L.A. County students better manage the rising cost of living. By providing a free transit pass good for unlimited access to public transportation not just to school, but for extracurricular activities, work and any other destination, making it an invaluable transportation choice.
The program that serves K-12 school districts in addition to community college districts is increasingly popular. In the first year of the program, for example, students from participating schools and school districts rode transit nearly 5.6 million times. More than 90 percent of boardings occur Monday through Friday, with the highest usage peaking at 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., which is consistent with school hours.
“With GoPass, GCC students have the freedom to get to where they need to go quickly and reliably while helping us remove cars from the road and reducing the harmful effects of climate change,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie N. Wiggins. “I thank the administration of GCC for partnering with us and we look forward to seeing more GCC students on our system!”
The GoPass Program has grown since its official launch in 2021. L.A. Metro has already added 14 new school districts for Year 2 and is in the process of adding 10 more. L.A. Metro says it seeks to double participation in the program over the next year.
GCC students interested in obtaining a GCC GoPass can sign up for the GoPass program through the district’s basic needs office, GCC CARES. Students will be contacted at the beginning of fall semester with instructions on how to pick-up the pass or request it by mail.
