[Spanish] Regional summer travel just got a whole lot better for area youth in central Contra Costa County! County Connection is excited to announce our new Youth Ride Free summer pilot program—offering fare-free rides on all bus routes for young people up to 18 years of age from June 1 through July 31.
Young riders can hop on any County Connection bus without needing to fill out an application or get a special pass. It’s easy! Just get on and go!
Goals of the Youth Ride Free Program
Throughout June and July 2025, our Youth Ride Free initiative aims to:
- Enhance Mobility: Enable young people to move around freely and confidently.
- Access Vital Resources: Ensure area youth can visit libraries, parks, shopping centers, and explore summer job opportunities.
- Reduce Social Isolation: Foster connections among peers and encourage greater transit literacy.
- Understand Travel Patterns: Help County Connection gain insights into youth travel habits to better serve our community.
While previous programs like the Summer Youth Pass (now discontinued) and Pass2Class have provided incentives for youth to ride transit, our youth ridership trends have not shown much growth, suggesting a need for a change in strategy. The Youth Ride Free pilot program is designed to revitalize youth engagement with public transit.
Remove Barriers, Roll Out the Welcome Mat
The Youth Ride Free pilot encourages us at County Connection to think outside the box and examine the needs of our younger riders. By removing the need for applications and passes–what some may deem as obstacles–we are opening our doors and welcome any youth (18 and under) to give our bus service a try. Fees? Gone. Show an ID? Not necessary. Fill out an application? Nope! No catch. We hope to see you on board this summer!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Youth Ride Free?
- The Youth Ride Free program is a pilot for any youth that is 18 and under to ride a County Connection bus for free, June 1-July 31.
- How will the driver know to let me on the bus for free?
- Drivers will let anyone 18 or younger board the bus for free.
- Is there an application or fee to participate in Youth Ride Free?
- No. Anyone who is 18 and under may ride for free. Simply board any County Connection bus, no ID or pass required (though you’re welcome to flash a smile to our bus operators).
- Can I ride free on any County Connection bus route?
- Yes, anyone 18 or younger can ride any County Connection bus for free. Check out all the bus lines in central Contra Costa County operated by County Connection.
- Do I need a Youth Clipper card to board?
- No. Clipper card or passes are not necessary for anyone 18 and younger to board County Connection during the Youth Ride Free pilot. Please note if you are transferring to BART, WestCAT, or Tri Delta Transit, a Youth Clipper card is still required to receive the youth fares on their buses or trains. However, Tri-Valley Wheels, our neighbor to the south who provides bus service to Pleasanton and Livermore, has their own Summer Youth Ride Free program that also allows everybody 18 and younger to ride for free.
- Why is there no fee or application for Youth Ride Free?
- There are programs that require fees and even applications, both of which help agencies to track ridership and promote programs. However, in an effort to boost ridership, County Connection is exploring a program with fewer barriers that have kept some of our younger riders from utilizing our bus service.
- Who is funding the Youth Ride Free pilot program?
- County Connection will cover the fares of youth 18 and under who ride one of our buses in June and July of 2025. Operating buses is costly, and we see this pilot as an opportunity to provide a fare-free service (in place of Summer Youth Pass) while also researching youth ridership trends and seeking other funding opportunities.
- What data are you collecting?
- We are collecting youth bus usage numbers, meaning our bus operators will record any youth boardings, helping us better understand youth travel habits. Nothing for young passengers to do but board the bus (we’ll have a running tally). However, we will also make opt-in surveys available to any youth who participated in the Youth Ride Free program. Youth and parent feedback is useful to us, purely voluntary, and will help inform a possible continuation of the program in the future.
- How will the data be used?
- The data we collect, both youth boardings and feedback gained from the opt-in surveys, will be used to see how effective a fare-free youth program has on our ridership counts. The insights from this data may be used to refine future programs and also seek long-term funding to continue a similar program in the future.
- What happens when Youth Ride Free ends?
- When the Youth Ride Free pilot ends, the Pass2Class program begins. Look for details from 511 Contra Costa. County Connection also encourages youth to apply for a Youth Clipper card, which will allow them to access most all Bay Area transit for half the price.
- Is the Summer Youth Pass still available?
- No. Funding for the Summer Youth Pass is no longer available and the program has been discontinued. The Youth Ride Free program is intended in part to replace the Summer Youth Pass for County Connection riders, until other funding or programs can be put in place.
- Is the Pass2Class program still available?
- Yes! Pass2Class is still available through 511 Contra Costa, and County Connection will be participating in the program in the fall of 2025.
- Why is this program only for June and July?
- Youth Ride Free is currently a pilot program to gather data on the effectiveness of youth ridership. We chose to run this pilot in June and July, when in previous years the Summer Youth Pass would have been available. With the Pass2Class program beginning in August, we did not want to overlap or double our efforts to provide fare-free transit to area youth.
- Can college students participate in Youth Ride Free?
- If a college student is 18 or under, yes. Otherwise, college students over 18 will have to pay the regular fare. (Please note: Students attending Saint Mary’s College can ride Routes 6, 606, and 626 for free with their student ID. This is made possible by a partnership with Saint Mary’s College.)
- Who should I contact if I have a question?
- County Connection’s Customer Service Department is here to assist you Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 6:30pm. You may call 925-676-7500 or email help@countyconnection.com. We’re located at 2477 Arnold Industrial Way, Concord, CA 94520. Our lobby is also open from 8am-3pm, Monday-Friday.
Questions or feedback about Youth Ride Free? You may also reach out to marketing@cccta.org and let us know what’s on your mind!