Well, that's one way to inflate Trimet's ridership numbers.

Thanks
JK

Because teens don't drive cars?

I'm not sure I get your point really.

JK: Well, that's one way to inflate Trimet's ridership numbers

What does this mean? I think you'll find that most of the students taking advantage of this are already riding the bus, JK. And it makes up for the lack of yellow buses for high school kids.

It is unfortunate they left younger kids out of the program. Parents of elementary or middle school kids still have to pay the $25 a month for a youth pass. Not much incentive there to take your kid to school on transit...

John Reinhold Says: It is unfortunate they left younger kids out of the program. Parents of elementary or middle school kids still have to pay the $25 a month for a youth pass. Not much incentive there to take your kid to school on transit...

Younger kids who need transportation ride the school bus, don't they?

The Mercury article referred to says that the City Council approved free all-zone transit travel for high-school kids. But it is all part of a deal among the state DOE, Trimet, and PPS. The deal was already done. The kids' new ID cards have the bus pass on them. Can someone explain what the City Council was doing?

Younger kids who need transportation ride the school bus, don't they?
As I understand, the Portland Public School District has very limited K-8 routes and stops for students who live more than a mile and a half from their school, and still are heavily encouraged to find another way to get there. And if their parents want their kids to attend a magnet or charter school instead of their neighborhood school, they're on their own. The morning TriMet 74 was well-frequented by some usually good-natured students of one such magnet school.

Funny how they can always find money when they want to.

However, this one is worth it.

I support free transit for all, this is a good start.

"Because teens don't drive cars?"

Teens don't drive cars safely. Getting them into public transit is a good thing; hopefully they'll take advantage of this.

Maybe a reimbursement program instead? Who's to say they'll actually use the passes? If the money is wasted on the high school kids who don't, maybe it could go to reimburse the younger children John Reinhold refers to.

At the university level (btw, this deal completely shames PSU's "FlexPass" program), especially those which give students unlimited rides, there is a yearly or every-other-year negotiation between the school and the transit agency as to the number of rides given under the program and the cost per ride the school should pay out, or in this case, the amount of funding needed. In either case, unused passes don't affect this. PPS isn't paying the cost of a pass for each student, they're paying the cost of the projected number of rides given based on their student population.