Milestone for District 51 Free Bus Pass Program
At the beginning of December, the District 51 Bus Pass Program hit an exciting milestone, 500 students have enrolled in the program since August. Through a partnership with the Mesa County Workforce Center and the American Job Center, Grand Valley Transit is in the second year of the program, providing free bus passes to D51 middle and high school students. Over the course of the year ridership in this program has averaged 2,180 rides per month, with the highest ridership during months school is in session. In October, the D51 Bus Pass Program saw the highest ridership since the program started in 2021, providing 3,099 rides to the students enrolled in the program. Tracking program ridership from January through October of 2022, GVT has given 21,788 free rides to D51 students.
This program also provides free rides to kids 11 and under when they board with any paying passenger, this includes a parent, guardian, or a sibling enrolled in the D51 Bus Pass program. Since January of 2022, ridership has averaged 436 per month with a grand total of 4,359 free rides for kids 11 and under from January through October.
Some students ride GVT regularly to get to and from school, after school employment, and activities. Grand Valley Transit has bus stops located near a number of local venues, popular among youth and teens including the mall, Mesa County Public Libraries, neighborhood parks, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and recreation centers. Students who utilize the pass program can get around town without relying on a ride, the pass program is equally beneficial to families. On average, parents make four to six car trips per day between travel to work, school, lunch errands, and transporting kids to activities. When students use the bus to travel to after school activities, they could easily save parents two daily trips. Swapping eight to ten car trips per week could save an average of $35.00 per month on gas. Winter break is right around the corner, a time for kids to hang out with friends and enjoy local recreation programs.
