Bus fares no longer free

Starting June 27, MCPS students must pay to travel on Metro and Ride-On buses due to the suspension of the Kids Ride Free program. The program, which gives students free public transportation on weekdays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., is one of the many projects the Montgomery County Council has eliminated due to a budget deficit, said Glenn Orlin, deputy chief of staff of the Council.

According to Orlin, the suspension of the program is not a surprise because the Council almost made deep cuts to the Ride-On bus service. "It wouldn't didn't make sense to have such programs when we didn't actually have enough money to provide for the service itself," Orlin said.

The County Executive cut $3 million from Ride-On in his proposed budget, which would have forced the cancellation of some bus routes, discontinued service on weekends, and a reduction in the number of buses that were in a route. However, the County Council cut funding in other sections of the budget to reduce the proposed Ride-On budget cuts to only $1 million. While no Ride-On bus routes were canceled, the County Council could no longer fund subsidiary programs such as Kids Ride Free, he said. In addition, bus frequencies will be lowered, some routes will not run as late as night and the times in which seniors can ride free will be limited, Orlin said. According to Orlin, the cancelation of the program will save the county about $375,000 because the Ride-On service will gain revenue from student transportation, and the county will no longer reimburse Metro for allowing students to ride free.

Although students can no longer ride free, they still can take advantage of more affordable options such as the Youth Cruiser pass, Orlin said. The pass, which costs $11 a month, allows students to travel on Ride-On buses anytime during the day including weekends. The pass does not cover transportation on Metro buses, he said. According to Blair parent Nick Johnson the Youth Cruiser passes are unacceptable alternatives to the Kids Ride Free program. The cost of the passes could be hundreds of dollars a year, a big burden on some families, he said. In addition, many Blair students rely on Metro buses sometimes more than Ride-On buses particularly in Blair's section of the county. "Right there, you're losing a large chunk of your options," he said. According to PTSA co-president Tom Jacobson, the decision will also hurt many Blair students who rely on public transportation when school buses aren't available. "Transportation is crucial for students to participate in after school activities," he said.

The program has only been suspended for next year and can be implemented again if the county has enough money in its budget to fund it. "These decisions are made a year at a time," he said.

According to Orlin, the cancelation of the program was considered last year, but was not carried out because of high protest from parents and the County Council's ability to reduce spending in other areas to find funding. This year, said Orlin, there wasn't as much protest due to the county's low budget, which has forced the Council to make, cuts in many other programs. "I think people understand that we have a budget crisis and a lot of things we had in the past we cannot afford to do now."