Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
JANUARY 23, 2020
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS SOLIS, GARCETTI, BONIN, DUPONT-WALKER, BUTTS AND HAHN
Free Transit for Los Angeles County Students
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the second largest school district in the country, educating more than 600,000 students in the largest metropolitan area of the country. Over 80% of LAUSD students live below the poverty line. These trends are consistent across the region; among households across Los Angeles County (County), 56% spend more than 30% of their income on housing, which is the threshold at which residents are at risk of becoming homeless. These circumstances place limitations on youth and families living in one of the country's most expensive areas in regard to cost of living. While Metro offers reduced fares for students and low-income families, many families still struggle to balance living and transportation costs. The existing student pass program has multiple barriers to entry and a high administrative burden that could be avoided through a universal program. In April 2015, a Harvard University study found that access to transportation is the single greatest factor in the odds of escaping poverty and avoiding homelessness. The availability of reliable and low-cost or free transit is a critical component of housing affordability in the County.
Efforts across the state, including initiatives led by Metro, have been made recently to address the transit needs of student populations. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation launched the DASH to Class program in August 2019, which offers free rides on DASH buses for K-12, college, and vocational students in the City of Los Angeles. Shortly after, in September 2019, Metro partnered with LAUSD, South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone (SLATE-Z) and Move LA to give free, unlimited Metro passes to juniors at Manual Arts Senior High School, under the Just Transit pilot program with funding from the ...
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