A key component of Measure BB, the Student Transit Pass Pilot Program, has completed a successful first year and launched year two. An evaluation of year one finds that the program is meeting its goals.
Nearly 3,000 students from nine middle and high schools throughout Alameda County participated in the pilot’s first year.
“Year one of the Student Transit Pass Pilot Program has been tremendously successful. It aimed to reduce barriers to transportation access to and from schools, improve transportation options for middle and high school students and build support for transit, and has done each of these,” says Alameda CTC Chair Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember At-Large. “Furthermore, 40% of participants report that the cost savings from the transit passes are critical to their families, and participants miss fewer days of school and participate in more after-school activities. I’m thrilled that we have expanded the program to six additional schools for the 2017-18 school year.”
Using a framework of 18 quantitative and qualitative measures to evaluate performance, the report notes the following impacts of year one of the pilot program:
- Better School Access: Evaluation shows easier access to school and increased attendance.
- High Financial Impact: Two-thirds of participating students stated that the cost savings provided by this program was important or critical to them and their families.
- Increased after-school involvement: Involvement in non-school-based afterschool activities and afterschool jobs increased.
- Higher Transit Use: Participating students take transit more often.
- Positive Perceptions of Transit: More than 80% of Year One participants reported positive associations with the bus.
Year two of the STPP Program began in August. Two program models are being implemented at 15 schools across five school districts for the 2017-18 school year. Six new schools joined the program, and new this year, all eligible high school students at schools within a mile of BART can receive a BART Ticket with $50 value. All bus transit passes countywide are provided on Clipper cards.
Learn more: www.alamedactc.org/studentpass
