Quick-Response Research on Long-Term Strategic Issues. Task 56. Student Fare Programs to Increase Ridership

Public transportation agencies across the U.S. have implemented student fare and pass programs in order to broaden their ridership base and provide new agency revenue streams. There exist a wide variety of programs and fare offerings for both university and secondary students, with different goals and funding sources. Research suggests that exposure to high-quality transit in one’s 20s and 30s increases the likelihood of using transit later in life. Encouraging transit use by students can have positive long-term ridership impacts for the entire transit industry. TCRP Synthesis 131 examined university pass programs in a limited way in 2018. Since then, many more agencies have adopted these programs. Student fare programs vary widely depending on transit market, regional operating structure, fare systems, and types of institutions served. Public transit agencies seeking to adopt new student fare programs or expand an existing program face uncertainty regarding costs, program feasibility, impacts on ridership and operations, and overall benefits. Research into the wide variety of student fare programs would assist in these evaluations. The objective of this research is to provide information to assist transit agencies and policymakers in adopting and expanding student fare programs.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6008
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $125,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-11, Task 56

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Schwager, Dianne

• Start Date: 20251208
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fares; Ridership; State of the practice; Students
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Finance; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01973736
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-11, Task 56
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Dec 8 2025 8:08PM