Every morning, Dillan Robinson, student body president at Foshay Learning Center in South Central L.A., gets on the Metro 105 bus with his little brother.
Robinson is one of the almost 300 students at his school and 150,000 students in the L.A. Unified School District using the L.A. Metro’s GoPass program, which provides TK-12 students with unlimited access to free metro services.
“We get to school safely every day,” Robinson said.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and L.A. Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho gathered Tuesday to announce an expansion of the GoPass program. Moving forward, adult students attending the district’s adult learning centers will now qualify for the program, “No questions asked,” said Carvalho from the gymnasium of the Foshay Learning Center, home of the Wolverines.
“It is an idea whose time has come. It is safe; it is protected; it is clean. It’s the right idea,” Carvalho said.
Across the city, 350,000 students are using the GoPass program, Wiggins said. And this number may be on the rise: According to Metro data, GoPass TAP card registration has increased 126% this year.
Also increasing: Arrests. According to a Metro report from March, arrests have increased by 32% on rail services and 18% on bus services.
The increase in arrests correlates with a decrease in Part 1 crimes, which include homicide and aggravated assault. However, Part 2 crimes, which include sex offenses and disorderly conduct, have increased.
While violent crime rates are trending down, Metro services remain impacted. Superintendent Carvalho said parents have not expressed concerns about student safety, “at least not in a significant way.” Instead, he said the reaction has been extremely positive.
One parent, Gloria Alegria, said although she thinks the program is “good for the kids,” her 13-year-old son will have to turn 16 before she lets him take the bus by himself.
“I’m scared that he’s going to get lost. Or anything can happen. Now, it’s a dangerous time,” Alegria said.
In efforts to ensure students can travel safely, Metro communicates safe riding and travel tips to schools, Wiggins said. She cited an increase in the Metro’s “visible presence” – ambassadors, law enforcement and transit security officers – as being particularly focused on lines that serve schools.
“Transportation is a huge issue and challenge, especially for working families who do not have the time or the luxury to drive their kids to school,” Bass said.
The mayor described her partnership with the school district as dating back to the beginning of her term in office.
Within this partnership, Carvalho said since becoming superintendent, he and Bass have reduced the number of houseless encampments in close proximity to schools by 50%. Bass highlighted the recent end of one encampment by Virgil Middle School, where “over 50 people are now housed.”
Another problem the district is hoping to tackle is absenteeism.
“We cannot teach the absent child,” Carvalho said, adding that the GoPass program is “going to put a major dent on chronic absenteeism in our community.”
Last year, the rate of chronic absenteeism reached a staggering 50%, according to Carvalho. He said this figure has been reduced to around 20% this year.
Moving forward with the expansion, Carvalho highlighted that “a lot of folks don’t realize that [they] also teach in excess of 30,000 adult learners.”
According to Carvalho, the district has a “strategic goal” to double this figure. The GoPass program is also open to participating community college students.
“Eighty-five percent of the children in our community live at or below the poverty level,” Carvalho said. “This is an equity builder. It provides students an opportunity, regardless of age level, to get around town.”