More than 900,000 boardings recorded in first year of the program at Santa Ana campus
ORANGE – Transportation and education officials gathered on the campus of Santiago Canyon College on Wednesday to mark the expansion of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s student bus pass program.
OCTA is expanding on the success of the program, which began at Santa Ana College in 2017, and has helped increase ridership, introduced new riders to public transit and allowed some students to gain access to higher education who say they wouldn’t be able to attend college without it.
“This is another example of an innovative way that we are helping students discover the benefits of public transportation, while at the same time helping students to get to school and, ultimately, to achieve their dreams,” said OCTA Director Mark Murphy, also the mayor pro tem for the city of Orange.
Through the end of the first school year at Santa Ana College, more than 900,000 boardings were recorded through the program, which serves approximately 40,000 students at the college and through the Division of Continuing Education.
In the initial program, students got a bus pass with their valid student identification card, allowing them unlimited rides on the OC Bus system for free. After the first year, students pay $6.75 per semester.
A survey of students at Santa Ana College showed that, overall, 86 percent were satisfied with the college pass. Nearly 70 percent of those who rode the bus to school chose to also ride OC Bus to other destinations, and 96 percent said using the pass helps them achieve their educational goals.
Based on that initial success, OCTA looked at opportunities to expand the student pass program to other Orange County campuses.
This school year, OCTA brought it to Santiago Canyon College in the city of Orange, also part of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, hoping to reach another 9,000 students.
Through the Santiago Canyon program, full-time students will pay $5 each semester for unlimited OC Bus rides.
The typical cost to ride the OC Bus system is $2 per ride, $5 for a day pass, or $185 for a full-semester student bus pass, so students who ride the bus through OCTA’s student bus pass program see substantial savings over the course of the semester.
More than 80 percent of students at Santiago Canyon College who voted on whether to bring the college pass to their campus voted in favor.
This effort is part of OCTA’s OC Bus 360° initiative, which is enhancing bus service in Orange County by maximizing existing resources and tailoring transit solutions to meet market demands.
Photo attached: Officials with the Orange County Transportation Authority and Santiago Canyon College join with students in marking the launch of the College Student Bus Pass Program on Wednesday, Sept. 26 in the city of Orange. Photo courtesy of OCTA.
