Sacramento News & Review
Support Local Independent Journalism Sign up for our newsletter!
  • News
    • Crime Beat
    • COVID-19
    • police reform
  • Voices
    • Greenlight
    • Fifteen Minutes
    • Essay
    • Ask Joey
    • Ask 420
  • Arts+Culture
    • Dish
    • Music
    • Home & Garden
    • Rebooting the Arts
  • Calendar
  • Solving Sacramento
    • Rebooting the Arts
    • Housing
    • ABOUT SOLVING SACRAMENTO
  • Newsletter
  • Become a supporter
  • More…
    • Local Dining
    • SN&R Archive
    • Best of Sac
    • SAMMIES
    • Sponsored Content
    • Independent Journalism Fund
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Contact Us
Hot Topics
  • March 9, 2021 | In light of recent deaths, Sacramento City Hall faces reckoning on warming centers
  • June 27, 2022 | Fight over mask mandate disrupts Nevada City student’s senior year
  • June 27, 2022 | The perfect tool for summer in Sacramento: Free moisture meter
  • June 26, 2022 | ‘Crossing the Line’ to get an abortion
  • June 24, 2022 | ‘Operation Bear Trap’ highlights Sacramento’s place in the Nevada gun-trafficking problem 
  • June 22, 2022 | Dr. BJ Miller is the keynote speaker at an end-of-life conference this Friday in Sacramento
Spotlight Youth

RydeFreeRT: A Proven Success

Photo courtesy of SacRT

By: Thea Rood October 15, 2020

The Sacramento Regional Transit District’s fare-free program, which waives fares for students and youth in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade across SacRT’s service area, has been extended for another year, through Sept. 30, 2021.

And the extension is not just based on anecdotal evidence collected from kids who use this popular program (although that exists as well). Preliminary research findings supported by Sutter Health show a significant positive impact on SacRT’s youngest riders.

For example, student ridership was up 127% pre-COVID and remained high even after the shelter-in-place, with riders reporting it was easier to get to school, as well as to after-school or non-school activities. The new transit users are by-and-large kids who previously had to depend on a car ride to get where they needed to go: Now they have more reliable transportation and are contributing to a decrease in automobile traffic and pollution in their neighborhoods.

“RydeFreeRT has clearly had a huge impact on our youth and on our city as a whole,” says Jay Schenirer, SacRT board director and a member of the Sacramento City Council. “The city’s continued investment in this partnership with SacRT will have significant payoff well into the future with our youngest residents being the primary beneficiaries.”

Data further shows about 220,000 students are eligible for the fare-free program. This includes students, home-schooled students, and foster and homeless youth. (And kids experiencing homelessness or in foster programs are allowed to participate regardless of their current residence or school address.)

Fares are waived on buses, light rail and SmaRT Ride microtransit service in Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Ranch Cordova and parts of Sacramento County.

Because of the restrictions in place due to the pandemic—such as libraries and school offices closed or offering reduced hours—students don’t need a RydeFreeRT sticker or card to ride, but can simply show a student ID (even if it’s not current).

“This program demonstrates another way that the city and SacRT is committed to creating lifelong transit users and supporting youth, particularly those who are in greatest need,” says Schenirer.

Students and youth who do not have a student ID can get a free RydeFreeRT card by visiting SacRT’s Customer Service and Sales Center at 1225 R Street (adjacent to the 13th Street Station). For more information, see rydefreert.com.

TOPICS:RydeFreeRTSacramento Regional Transit DistrictSacRTstudentssutter healthYouth

Our content is free, but not free to produce

If you value our local news, arts and entertainment coverage, become an SN&R supporter with a one-time or recurring donation. Help us keep our reporters at work, bringing you the stories that need to be told.

Become a supporter
Newsletter

Stay Updated

For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
We'll tell you the story behind the story.

    • Previous post
    • Next post

    About the Sponsor

    Sacramento Regional Transit District
    The Sacramento Regional Transit District, commonly referred to as SacRT, is the 2019 national TSA Gold Standard Security Award recipient for the highest standard of excellence and is the regional transit provider in the capital of California (the 5th largest economy in the world). It operates more than 80 bus routes, 43 miles of light rail serving 52 light rail stations and ADA paratransit services--all within a 400 square-mile service area throughout Sacramento County. This includes service in the cities of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom and Rancho Cordova. http://www.sacrt.com/

    Related Articles

    News, Voices

    Editor’s note: Sutter Health’s big tax break


    News, Voices

    Editor’s note: Kids count, but can adults?


    COVID-19, Voices

    Distance learning stinks


    News, Voices

    Streetcar to nowhere?


    Meet the sponsors

    • Berkeley Strategy Advisors
      Berkeley Strategy Advisors

      published 1 article

    • BRIDGE Housing
      BRIDGE Housing

      published 3 articles

    • California Workforce Association
      California Workforce Association

      published 4 articles

    • Del Paso Boulevard Partnership
      Del Paso Boulevard Partnership

      published 28 articles

    • Exotic Plants
      Exotic Plants

      published 6 articles

    • Midtown
      Midtown

      published 11 articles

    • N&R Publications
      N&R Publications

      published 5 articles

    • Northern California Research
      Northern California Research

      published 5 articles

    • Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services
      Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services

      published 5 articles

    • Sacramento Regional Transit District
      Sacramento Regional Transit District

      published 28 articles

    • SEIU
      SEIU

      published 30 articles

    • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
      Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

      published 1 article

    • The California Endowment
      The California Endowment

      published 65 articles

    • Volunteers of America
      Volunteers of America

      published 8 articles

    • Workforce Development Board of Solano County
      Workforce Development Board of Solano County

      published 4 articles

    Our Sponsors

    Berkeley Strategy Advisors BRIDGE Housing California Workforce Association Del Paso Boulevard Partnership Exotic Plants Midtown N&R Publications Northern California Research Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services Sacramento Regional Transit District SEIU Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The California Endowment Volunteers of America Workforce Development Board of Solano County

    Categories

    Youth

    Tags

    2020 affordable housing art astrology Black Lives Matter board of supervisors California cannabis cartoonist City Council city hall climate change coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 in Sacramento Donald Trump editorial cartoons election gardening gavin newsom George Floyd homeless homelessness horoscopes jobs Joe Biden letters Mayor Darrell Steinberg music november election pandemic police reform police shootings president donald trump presidential election protests public health sacramento sacramento county Sacramento police Sacramento Regional Transit District SacRT SEIU Stephon Clark taxes
    Newsletter

    Stay Updated

    For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
    We'll tell you the story behind the story.

      Recent Posts
      • Fight over mask mandate disrupts Nevada City student’s senior year
      • The perfect tool for summer in Sacramento: Free moisture meter
      • ‘Crossing the Line’ to get an abortion
      • ‘Operation Bear Trap’ highlights Sacramento’s place in the Nevada gun-trafficking problem 
      • Dr. BJ Miller is the keynote speaker at an end-of-life conference this Friday in Sacramento
      Links
      • Newsletter Signup
      • Follow us on Twitter
      • Find us on Facebook
      • SN&R Archives
      • Best of Sac
      • SAMMIES
      • RSS
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Service
      • Contact Us
      Become a supporter
      Categories
      • 2020 election (156)
      • Arts & Culture (42)
      • Arts+Culture (403)
      • Ask Joey (1,017)
      • Behind the Issues (1)
      • Cannabis (39)
      • COVID-19 (360)
      • Crime Beat (77)
      • Dish (73)
      • Food (11)
      • Greenlight (492)
      • Home & Garden (77)
      • Housing (6)
      • Music (66)
      • News (970)
      • Rebooting the Arts (33)
      • Solving Sacramento (6)
      • Stage (8)
      • The arts (4)
      • Voices (471)

      © 2019+ Sacramento News & Review