Metro Youth Ridership Program Sees Gains

StrIDe, Metro Nashville’s free youth transit program for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and charter school students, saw an 11 percent jump in ridership from 2014 to 2015, according to Nashville MTA officials.

StrIDe is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office, MNPS, Nashville MTA and Metro Council.  The program began in August 2014 when MNPS high school students received their student identification badges that also serve as their school ID card, library card and MTA bus pass. It is programmed to work on all MTA buses.

“This program allows students to access more of the educational opportunities that we’ve worked so hard to provide for them,” Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said. “I’m not surprised that it’s been a success.  With a bus pass, students have the freedom to connect to internships with local businesses, dual enrollment at our community colleges and extracurricular activities.  That’s a good thing, not just for our students but for our city as a whole.”

The program provides students not only transportation to school but to extracurricular activities throughout the week, and to non-school events, allowing them to be more engaged not only in school but in what the city has to offer, as well.

Between 4,200 and 4,600 StrIDe cards are used each month by Nashville students in both public and charter schools. Each month more than 18 percent of MNPS high school students use their ID on an MTA bus.

Since its implementation last fall, StrIDe has received national attention from other cities that are considering implementing similar programs.

“We've gotten queries from around the country about how it's going,” Nashville MTA CEO Steve Bland said. “StrIDe has helped high school students in Nashville become more mobile and independent, and we expect the experience will win over a whole new young demographic to the benefits of public transportation.”

Based on current ridership and population trends, MTA estimates 65,000 students could take advantage of the proposed free fare program potentially more than tripling current youth ridership.

“Going in, we just couldn’t know,” said MNPS Chief Operating Officer Fred Carr, who helps oversee the program.  “We thought about doing surveys, but we finally just decided to put it in motion. It just worked. It’s been a complete success. We haven’t received a negative comment from parents or students.”