Free bus passes are open to Alameda County students in grades 6 to 12

Applications are open for a free bus pass that any Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro or San Lorenzo student in grades 6 through 12 can get, and that students in Berkeley, Alameda, Fremont, Albany, Castro Valley, Newark and Piedmont can get if their family meets the state's income guidelines.\n\nThe Student Transit Pass Program is in its 11th year. It is run by the Alameda County Transportation Commission with AC Transit, Union City Transit and Wheels. A pass means unlimited free rides on those three bus systems, 50% off BART fares, and discounts on other regional transit. Once a student is approved, the benefit runs until high school graduation as long as they stay eligible.\n\nThe scale is the part that surprises people. Nearly 32,000 students at more than 160 schools used the program during the 2024-25 school year and took more than 2.1 million free bus rides.\n\nWhat it saves a household is the point. "We had several families tell us that they had not sent the student to school because of a lack of bus fare. So having transit passes really impacts attendance and family resources," said Justin Hinojoza, a program site administrator at Frick Middle School in Oakland, in the commission's announcement.\n\nWhich district you are in decides how you qualify. Districts on universal eligibility, where every student in grades 6 through 12 can apply, are Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Emery, New Haven, Livermore and the Alameda County Office of Education. Districts on means-based eligibility, where families must meet the California Department of Education's income guidelines for free or reduced-price meals, are Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Fremont, Newark, Piedmont, Dublin and Pleasanton.\n\nNew Haven Unified, the Union City district, is newly on the universal list. "With the school district now qualified for Free Universal eligibility, more students can receive the benefit of being able to access Union City Transit, AC Transit and other transit providers to get to school and participate in extra-curricular activities," said Steve Adams, the Union City Transit manager, in the same announcement.\n\nHow to apply. Go to alamedactc.org/programs-projects/studentpass/apply and pick the student's school. Applications open school by school, as each one confirms it is ready to process them; if a school is not listed yet, check back or ask the school office. A new pass takes roughly four to six weeks to reach the school, and site administrators keep temporary passes on hand in the meantime. A student who applies with an existing Youth Clipper card gets the pass loaded onto that card in two to four weeks. Passes are handed out through the school site administrator.\n\nLost passes are replaced differently depending on the bus system. Riders on AC Transit and Union City Transit should not reuse the original application; instructions for each agency are at alamedactc.org/programs-projects/studentpass/replace.\n\nThe commission has not published an application deadline. Given the four-to-six-week wait for a physical pass, a family that wants one in hand early in the school year should apply now.