After a news conference, children enrolled in an Evansville YMCA program are lined up to receive "My Summer Ride" passes from the Metropolitan Evansville Transit System (METS.)
After this, they take a short spring on the bus — accompanied by staff, of course.
Running June 2 to August 2, this pilot program is for children up to 18 years of age.
Todd Robertson, executive director of Transportation and Services, said children normally purchase tickets discounted to $.50, but this pilot makes their ride free of charge.
“So hopefully, this will also promote to them and let them know how the system works and how they can benefit from using our transit to be able to access and opportunities that they may not have in their own community.”
Robertson said youths regularly ride the bus, and every bus ride is recorded for safety.
Those under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Students over 18 can ride as long as they are enrolled in high school.
Attending the YMCA, heading to the pool, library or even a job are some destination possibilities. The free rides are available for any purpose, not just for school-related activities, according to the news release.
This pilot program was created by the office of Mayor Stephanie Terry. Terry said the goal is to remove transportation barriers for families and promote public safety by offering free bus rides.
“When young people have positive places to go and things to do, we help reduce the risk and strengthen neighborhoods, and it supports economic opportunity by helping students access job experiences and build skills and confidence.”
It is part of the Safe Summer initiative to make neighborhoods safer and encourage economic development.
To distribute the passes, the city will work with local youth-serving organizations. Those passes will be available for pick-up at the CK Newsome Center, METS Station, and all public city pools. Students who may appear older than 18 should be prepared to show school ID or a report card when picking up their bus passes.
The city doesn’t have a projection on how many children and young people may use the service. “If it works, we'll keep pressing forward,” Terry said. “If not, we'll reevaluate.”
She said this idea came together quickly after speaking with City Council Member Courtney Johnson about the needs of the youth in the community.
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