My daughter just happens to be an LAUSD elementary school student. Even though the process for getting a student TAP card is somewhat cumbersome, she has one. Earlier today, I figured I would see for myself how the free student pilot was working, so I walked to the nearest Metro station and tapped my daughter's student TAP card. Metro deducted a dollar from the card... so existing LAUSD student TAP card holders can't ride free - yet. (Since the early days of COVID-19, Metro buses have been free for everyone - though that is set to end on January 10, 2022.)
...students ride transit without the worry of paying fare
Students attending participating schools can ride Metro and other participating systems wherever they need to go – to and from school, and for trips after school and on weekends, with no requirements on days or times for use
But the new fareless initiative requires students to obtain a student TAP card... and the page has no information for students or their parents on how to actually go about riding Metro for free.
Streetsblog has an email inquiry in to Metro about how and when LAUSD student free rides will work. Streetsblog will update this post when Metro responds.
At presstime Friday afternoon, Metro tweeted that "students will receive a special FSI TAP card from their participating school and register it on the FSI Web Portal following the instructions in the materials provided with the cards." No word on who students or parents should inquire to at their LAUSD school.
Brightline West will be a 218-mile 186-mile-per-hour rail line from Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga - about 40 miles east of downtown L.A. - expected to open in 2028