Spokane Transit Authority is offering kids between the ages of 6-18 a free bus pass for the summer months.
CHENEY-For the second summer in a row, the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) offers free summer bus passes for children between the ages of 6-18 or any students enrolled in kindergarten-12th grade.
Brandon Rapez-Betty, Spokane Transit's chief operations officer, said this region-wide program is an opportunity for students and families should grab hold of.
"It's a great way for families seeing surging gas prices to keep kids focused on activities during the summer," he said. "On our website, we also linked free activities in the region. We're combining free transportation with free activities."
Rapez-Betty said STA is doing what it can to give kids in that age group accessibility to fun activities during the summer months.
The STA website lists free activities like visits to local art museums, YMCA and skate parks.
In the past, this program had only been available to kids in the city of Spokane but has now reached surrounding cities like Medical Lake.
"The region wide pass has been available starting last year. The project is funded by the STA board of directors," Rapez-Betty said.
Free bus passes are distributed at local libraries with the presentation of a school ID.
"It's pretty low barrier. The kids have to be between 6-18 or enrolled in public school," Rapez-Betty said. "The only thing is that students in the high school group or 14 years or older have to present some sort of age verification."
He said age verification is needed for the older half of the age group to prevent young adults from taking advantage of the program.
The goal of the pass is to increase the use of public transportation in younger age groups, develop more frequent public transportation users for the future and allow youth to explore for free.
"We want to keep kids focused on activities," Rapez-Betty said. "We're trying to make the most for that age group."
Michaela is a former newsroom intern at the Cheney Free Press. She covered stories on education, city government, cops/courts/fire departments and local businesses.
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