L.A. Metro should provide free public transit for all children

Re: “LA Metro looks into fareless buses and trains, and they’re starting with students” (April 23, 2021):

Since 2019, Los Angeles Unified has been urging the L.A. Metro provide free public transit for public school students. That advocacy – supported by a coalition of over 50 community, business, and labor organizations – resulted in the L.A. Metro passing a resolution on January 23, 2020 requesting staff undertake a feasibility study. The motion stated that Metro’s “existing student pass program has multiple barriers to entry…that could be avoided through a universal program” and that “access to transportation is the single greatest factor in the odds of escaping poverty and avoiding homelessness.” Children from low-income families need free public transportation not only to go to school but to access all that Los Angeles offers including museums, beaches and work opportunities.

In your April 23rd article, Mayor Garcetti suggested Los Angeles Unified should provide funding for a pilot program. That is not a solution. Schools in Los Angeles Unified should be using their funds to pay for teachers, custodians and school bus drivers – not L.A. Metro costs. We suggest the L.A. Metro go back to the drawing board and develop a better solution, not merely shifting the costs of public transportation onto schools. During an average school year, dedicated Los Angeles Unified bus drivers transport approximately 40,000 students during the school day. There is no one who can provide specialized transportation to students more than school bus drivers.

Removing this transportation barrier, which falls disproportionately on highest needs students and families, should be a priority for the L.A. Metro to help the most vulnerable populations in the LA area recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cities across the country including Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York successfully implement free transit passes programs for students in public schools. On behalf of the more than 80% of low-income students we serve, Los Angeles Unified calls on L.A. Metro and public officials to provide every child with free public transportation without relying on schools to carry the burden.

– Austin Beutner, superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District

– Max Arias, president, SEIU Local 99