The Student Transit Pass Program (STPP) provides free youth Clipper cards to eligible middle and high school students in Alameda County which can be used for unlimited free bus rides in their area (on AC Transit, Union City Transit or LAVTA Wheels), as well as a 50 percent discount on BART trips and youth discounts on other transit systems.

Alameda CTC is responsible for the implementation of the STPP in Alameda County. The program makes it easier to travel to and from school and school-related programs, jobs and other activities, expanding transportation options for Alameda County’s middle and high school students.

The goals of the program are to:

• Reduce barriers to transportation access to and from schools
• Improve transportation options for Alameda County's middle and high school students
• Build support for transit in Alameda County
• Implement a cost effective program

The Student Transit Pass Program is undergoing a phased expansion to all middle and high schools in Alameda County with bus service over the next five years. The expansion phasing seeks to balance geographic equity across planning areas in the county.

During the 2020-2021 school year, the Student Transit Pass Program will expand to all middle and high schools with bus service in the following districts:

• Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE)
• Emery Unified School District (Emery USD)
• Hayward Unified School District (HUSD)
• Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD)
• New Haven Unified School District (NHUSD)
• Newark Unified School District (NUSD)
• Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD)
• San Leandro Unified School District (SLUSD)
• San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD)

The STPP program will include a subset of middle and high schools in the following districts:

• Alameda Unified School District (AUSD)
• Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD)
• Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD)
• Fremont Unified School District (FUSD)
• Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).

The schools participating during the 2020-2021 school year can be found on the next tab, Students Apply Here.

Market the Student Transit Pass Program (STPP)

Promote the STPP to students and families – Applications are open!

The STPP allows eligible students to travel to and from school, jobs, and other activities for free on their local transit system (AC Transit, Union City Transit, and/or LAVTA). As the program’s site administrator, we encourage you to promote the program to students and families.

This page provides marketing materials to reach students and their families, including digital graphics and scripts for robo-calls or text messaging.

Marketing with Graphics

Use digital graphics to promote the STPP on social media, Peachjar, and your school website. Click the below links to download the digital graphics. We invite you to add captions and additional information to the graphics.

• 8.5” x 11” PDF Flyer (best for Peachjar and email attachments)
  • AC Transit
  • AC Transit & Union City Transit
  • LAVTA Tri-Valley Wheels
• 1” x 3” PNG Graphic Banner (best for using as an email, newsletter, or webpage graphic)
• 2” x 3” PNG Graphic Card (best for email body, or Facebook and Twitter posts)
• 1” x 1” PNG Graphic Card (best for Instagram, can be used on any channel)

*8.5” x 11” PDF Flyer available in Spanish and Chinese. Please reach out to your school liaison for copies.

Recommended Caption for Social Media posts: “You could be eligible for a free transit pass. To learn more and apply go to bit.ly/studenttransitpass and if you have any questions, talk to your school office administrators!”

How-To Guides

• Peachjar: How to Upload a Digital Flyer
• Twitter: How to Tweet
• Facebook: How to Post and Share
• Instagram: How to Post a Photo

Phone-based Marketing through Voice and Text Messaging

Send voice recordings and text message reminders to families. Below is sample text; we invite you to revise the language based on what is best for your school community.

Voice Recording
“Free Student Transit Pass youth Clipper cards are available to eligible students at [School Name]. Student Transit Passes offer unlimited rides on [your local transit agency] and cash value can be added to cards for fifty percent off BART fares and discounted rides on other local transit systems. For more information on applying, please visit B-I-T dot L-Y backslash student transit pass.”

Text Messaging
Qualifying students at [School Name] can receive free Student Transit Pass youth Clipper cards, and

• Unlimited rides [your local transit agency]
• Cash value can be added to cards for fifty percent off BART fares and discounted rides on other local transit systems

For more information on applying, please visit bit.ly/studenttransitpass

How to Support Your Students

Check out the Students Apply Here tab for information on how students can apply online, answers to common questions, and kid-friendly guides that discuss bus basics and riding safely.

Alameda CTC was responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of a three-year Student Transit Pass Pilot Program (Pilot) in Alameda County. This was identified in the voter-approved 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan (2014 Plan) and is funded by Measure BB. The 2014 Plan included $15 million “for the purposes of funding one or more models for a student transit pass program designed to account for geographic difference within the county.” This Pilot provided a vital opportunity to assess student transportation needs throughout the county and to develop an approach to meet those needs through implementation of an affordable pass program. The Pilot proved effective at making it easier for students to travel to and from school and school-related programs, jobs and other activities, and expanded transportation options for Alameda County’s middle and high school students.

The Commission-adopted goals of the Pilot were:

• Reduce barriers to transportation access to and from schools
• Improve transportation options for Alameda County's middle and high school students
• Build support for transit in Alameda County
• Develop effective three-year pilot programs
• Create a basis for a countywide student transit pass program (funding permitting)

The program was implemented from August 2016 through July 2019, and several pilot program models were tested during this time. In March 2016, the Commission approved a site selection framework and a shortlist of 36 school sites that were eligible during the three-year pilot. At the same time, the Commission approved an evaluation framework for the pilot program including 18 quantitative and qualitative measures to asses the effectiveness of the pilot program models. Throughout this process, feedback was solicited from interested stakeholders. A robust evaluation report was published each year of the Pilot; the reports are available below.

• Student Transit Pass Program Fact Sheet
• State of the Practice Review: Case studies of student transit pass programs

Program Evaluation

• 2019-2020 Program Evaluation Report