New funding aims to make it easier for Connecticut high school students to get to school, jobs and activities by creating a grant program for free bus passes.
The effort builds on a 2024 pilot program in Hartford and New Haven. High school students received free CTtransit bus passes to travel throughout the two cities.
A new law signed by Gov. Ned Lamont is pushing that program statewide with $2.5 million in funding to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT).
With the money, the transportation department will provide grants for school boards to secure free CTtransit passes for their students. The funding will also support discounted tickets for veterans.
Jay Stange with the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation, one of the groups that pushed for the program, said the goal is to make transportation less of a barrier for students.
“I expect that this is going to be a transformative program,” Stange said. “We're going to provide thousands of high school students and veterans with tickets to opportunity."
The program’s start date is set for July 1, but state officials and school districts are still working out how to operate it. Questions remain about how districts will access the grants, what type of transit passes students will receive and how quickly the program can be implemented.
“It's a short turnaround, and so we'll see how it goes,” Stange said. “We're standing by to provide all of our learned experiences and any support that we can provide.”
Patrice McCarthy, executive director and general counsel at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said the group hasn’t heard from districts about the program yet, but it’s something they’ll have to sort out before the school year starts.
“It will be a challenge, most likely,” she said. “Policy development takes time, and program implementation takes time.”
McCarthy said the initiative comes with logistical challenges.
“What happens if a student loses their bus pass? Does the district have to replace it? Will the state replace it? Who in the district is going to be responsible for administering this initiative?” she said. “That's going to be worked out district by district.”
DOT and CTtransit already have U-Pass CT cards available for participating colleges. Undergraduate students can take unlimited rides on local and express buses, CTrail lines and some Amtrak trains.
The state also runs the CTpass Program; eligible organizations can apply for 31-day passes at a discounted rate. It covers local bus services in Hartford, New Haven, New Britain, Bristol, Waterbury, Meriden, Wallingford and Stamford.
This new program will be the first statewide effort to provide free transit access for high school students.
In a written statement, a spokesperson with the Connecticut State Department of Education reiterated the program’s potential impact on student success.
“Providing students with free access to public bus services can help reduce transportation barriers and expand access to positive youth development opportunities, such as after-school activities, summer enrichment, community-based programs, and other experiences,” the spokesperson said.
Back in 2024, the state allocated $350,000 split between New Haven and Hartford for a pilot bus pass program for public high schools. The effort was led in part by the Social Justice Club at University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) .
The Hartford Public Schools pilot program passes included route tracking technology to collect how students used their passes. UHSSE principal Sean Tomany also surveyed students who participated in the program.
Not only were students getting to and from school, Stange said, but they were also earning money at jobs and spending money in their communities.
The forthcoming program will have a similar reporting requirement. Starting July 1, 2027 the transportation commissioner will submit an annual report to legislators on the amount of grants awarded and the impact on student outcomes.
“We hope to get good data,” Stange said. “We can look at the impact that the program is making and also plan for future investments.”
The state helped set up the Hartford pilot with monthly passes. Stange hopes this new program will offer the same ones — not the two-hour or 10-ride passes.
“It was their idea, and it was a good one,” he said. “The 31-day bus pass is going to be the most important component, and we hope that DOT agrees with us.”
