By Edmond Ortiz
VIA Metropolitan Transit, with support from a San Antonio City Council member, will offer free bus passes for students ages 12-18 to begin the new year.
What you should know
In an effort to help curb school absenteeism, District 7 Councilmember Marina Alderete Gavito announced on Dec. 8 that she was contributing $150,000 in unallocated funds from her office to kickstart the program.
The initial $150,000 will fund spring semester passes that support an unlimited number of bus rides between Jan. 1 and July 31.
VIA currently charges $1.30 per single bus ride, and $38 for a semester pass. Jon Gary Herrera, VIA’s president and CEO, said about 3,600 students buy semester passes every year.
What they are saying
In a press conference, Aldrete Gavito said chronic absenteeism is a major challenge that many San Antonio students face. She added, in many cases, students do not make it to class on time or at all because they lack reliable transportation, especially in areas that are not fully served by local school buses.
“In some districts, nearly four in 10 high school students miss more than 10% of the year, and transportation is one of the top barriers preventing students from getting to school,” Aldrete Gavito said.
Speakers at the news conference said absenteeism not only negatively affects students but also teachers, as well as school districts, which count on average daily attendance counts for adequate state funding.
Aldrete Gavito said she and local developer David Adelman, who also attended the press conference, said they will solicit donations from community members to expand this new initiative designed to reduce student absenteeism.
Adelman and Aldrete Gavito previously served together on VIA’s board of trustees and have discussed the topic of student absenteeism and its effects on the local student population.
While other local college and university systems offer discount pass programs for area students, this new semester pass program, Herrera said, will aid students who are experiencing significant financial challenges.
