Get your students to class
To help get your students to class affordably and on time, Metro Transit offers several options for high schools and colleges. Encourage your students to make the choice that is good for the environment and their budgets. Schools benefit from decreased demand for parking spaces and reduced congestion.
Contact Metro Transit or the outreach specialist in your area with questions about the fare programs available to high schools and accredited colleges and universities.
With a Student Pass, your high school can provide reliable transportation for a fraction of the cost of yellow school buses and students receive unlimited rides for one low price. You pay for passes each quarter, and the program is available to high schools with five or more participants.
If your high school has students whose needs are more temporary, consider the 10-Ride Card. This card uses the same Go-To Card technology as the Student Pass, but is not reusable.
Give students an affordable way to get to school and reduce parking demand on campus. The College Pass program is available to any accredited, post-secondary institution.
Universal Pass provides all students at an academic institution unlimited access to Twin Cities buses and METRO lines.
U-Pass is available to University of Minnesota students who are enrolled in classes.
College Pass resources
Participating in the College Pass program gives students an affordable way to get to school and reduces parking demand. College Passes are valid for unlimited rides on all regional buses and trains. For fares above $3.25 (for example, select Northstar fares) stored value is required to cover the additional fare.
A College Pass costs $165 per semester, and are valid for these terms.
Spring: Jan. 1 - May 31
Summer: June 1 - Aug. 14
Fall: Aug. 15 - Dec. 31
College Passes are not renewable, so administrators must place an order each term.
Contact us to submit your order or if you have any questions.
Universal Pass
Academic institutions offering College Pass may choose to provide a transit pass to every student – the Universal Pass. Because the pass is distributed to all students, the cost per student is significantly lower than other transit pass options. Schools are only charged for actual bus and METRO rides at the normal fare, up to a set maximum for the academic year. Schools choose how to fund the program; options include student fees, existing College Pass subsidies, or transportation funds. For more information, contact tenille.warren@metrotransit.org.
Carry valid student ID
A valid student ID must be presented along with a College Pass when riding. The student ID allows Metro Transit Police to ensure that the pass is being used by a student and prevents fraudulent use.
Validate the ride
Participants must validate each ride by touching a College Pass to a card reader every time they board a bus or train. Without validation, the ride is not counted and Metro Transit Police cannot verify that the pass is active and valid. Metro Transit reserves the right to deactivate the College Pass of a user who does not comply with fare policy.
Register and take proper care of your pass
The College Pass must be registered in order to receive a replacement pass during the semester for $5. If the pass is not registered, a new pass must be purchased for the full amount. We encourage all College Pass cardholders to register their pass.
For details on how the pass works and how to take care of it, read the online User's Guide or see the guide included with the pass.
How it works for the School Administrator
Each participating school assigns an administrator to manage the College Pass account. Metro Transit has an online administrator site, which makes it easy to track current passes and students, temporarily suspend or cancel passes and issue replacements.
At the beginning of the school year, the school administrator receives College Passes that are ready to be issued to students; they are already valid for unlimited rides on buses and light rail, so it is very important to track each pass on the administrator site.
If you don't have access to the online administrator site, please contact us and we'll send you an e-mail invitation that includes your access information.
Canceling passes
If you need to cancel a student’s pass, promptly deactivate the card using the administrator site.
Replacing lost, stolen or defective passes
First, check to see if the pass was registered. You can do this by signing in to the administrator site and visiting the "Register Pass(s)" page. Enter the student's name to check if the pass has been registered. If the person's name is not found, the pass has not been registered.
If the pass was registered. Use the administrator site to deactivate the old pass and issue a replacement from the initial shipment. If you do not have any unsold pass inventory, contact us. A $5 fee will be charged for any replacement pass unless the pass is deemed defective (it has no apparent physical damage and cannot be read properly). Defective passes must be returned to Metro Transit for verification. A credit will be issued to the school each month for the total number of deactivated passes that were replaced. The credit amount is the difference between the pass cost and the replacement fee (e.g. $165 less $5 replacement fee = $160 credit).
If the pass was not registered. Sell the student a new College Pass. If it is at the end of the semester and the student does not want to purchase a new pass, they can purchase a Go-To Card.
Note:
If the student has a defective pass, it does not have to be registered in order to request a $5 replacement. However, the defective pass must be returned to Metro Transit for verification.
Suspending passes
An administrator can temporarily suspend a student’s pass. There is no replacement fee for this process because a new pass is not issued.
Payment information
The school will be invoiced three times per year if it participates fall, spring and summer semesters. Prior to each semester, the administrator must request passes and will be billed accordingly. At the end of the semester, the school must return any unsold passes within 30 days for a credit.
How to promote College Pass
Display brochures and posters in high-traffic areas to promote the College Pass at your school and reduce parking demand. If you would like a customized brochures printed in a large quantity (more than 1,000 copies) or a customized poster, please contact the outreach specialist in your area or contact Metro Transit to learn about options.
Student Pass
Student Passes are valid for unlimited rides on any regional bus or train. A Student Pass costs $97 per quarter. Additional fare is required to ride any route with a fare higher than $3.25 (for example, select Northstar fares); to cover the additional fare you must add stored value to the pass.
If your school doesn't have a transportation program or funding for your current option is being cut, look into offering the Student Pass. School administrators can provide students with reliable transportation for a fraction of the cost of yellow school buses, and students receive unlimited rides for one low price.
Student Pass is available to all high schools. The minimum purchase is five Student Passes per quarter. To participate in the Student Pass program, complete the application.
How it works for the Student Pass user
Sign the Metro Transit Code of Conduct
The student must agree to Metro Transit’s Code of Conduct to use the pass. Any violations of the Code can result in pass deactivation by the school administrator or Metro Transit. Often schools include addenda to Metro Transit’s Code of Conduct, such as policies about pass use if the student is truant repeatedly.
Carry valid student ID with photo
A valid student ID must be presented when riding. The photo ID allows Metro Transit Police to determine validity and prevents fraudulent use by someone other than the student.
Validate the ride
Users must validate each ride by touching a Student Pass to a card reader every time they board a bus or train. Without validation, the ride is not counted and Metro Transit Police cannot verify that the pass is active and valid. Metro Transit reserves the right to deactivate the pass of any student who does not comply with fare policy.
Take proper care of the pass
For details on how the card works and how to take care of it, read the User's Guide.
How it works for the school administrator
Each school assigns an administrator to manage the Student Pass account. This is done through an online administrator site, which makes it easy to track current passes and students, temporarily suspend or cancel passes, issue replacement passes and manage billing information.
At the beginning of the school year, the school administrator receives Student Passes that are ready to be issued; they are already valid for unlimited rides on buses and light rail so it is very important to track every pass. The school will be billed for each pass that is in use after the initial purchase or in subsequent billings.
Upon acceptance to the program, you will be sent an email invitation to set up your access to the online administrator site.
Once you have access, begin distributing Student Passes and recording which pass was given to each student. A first and last name is required for each pass distributed to ensure proper billing.
Canceling passes
If a student's pass is no longer needed, promptly deactivate it to avoid paying for an additional quarter.
Replacing lost, stolen or defective passes
If a student's pass is lost or stolen, the administrator should deactivate the old pass and issue a replacement from the initial shipment. If you do not have any unissued cards, place an order for additional cards to be kept in inventory. A $5 fee will be charged for a replacement pass unless the pass is deemed defective (it has no apparent physical damage and cannot be read properly). Defective passes must be returned to Metro Transit for verification as soon as possible. A credit will be issued to the school at the end of the billing period for the total number of deactivated passes that were replaced. The credit amount is the difference between the cost of the pass and the replacement fee (for example: $97 less $5 replacement fee = $92 credit).
Suspending passes
An administrator can temporarily suspend a student’s pass. There is no replacement fee because a new pass is not issued.
Payment information
The school is invoiced four times per year; each pass costs $97 per quarter. At the end of each quarter, the administrator downloads an "active pass" report from the administrator site. The administrator verifies the list of active passes and indicates which passes have not been issued (these should be noted by those without names assigned) and cancel any passes as necessary. Prior to the billing cycle, you will be reminded via email, to confirm the number of cards currently issued/registered. If no confirmation is received, we will invoice you for the total number of cards active under your account.
Billing Cycle 2021 - 2022
Quarter 1: Aug. 23 – Nov. 3, 2021
Quarter 2: Nov. 4, 2021 – Jan. 15, 2022
Quarter 3: Jan. 16 – March 31, 2022
Quarter 4: April 1 – June 11, 2022
After June 18, the school must return any unassigned passes to Metro Transit. Metro Transit will then issue a credit of $97 for each pass returned. Returns must be received no later than July 15.
Sample Billing
Metro Transit sends ‘School A’ 100 Student Passes based on the administrator’s estimated demand. School A issues 90 passes during the first week of classes.
Q1 Billing: $9,700 (100 passes x $97)
During Q1, School A issues three additional passes to new students. At the end of Q1, the administrator site indicates there are 93 assigned passes.
Q2 Billing: $9,021 (93 cards x $97)
During Q2, a student at School A loses his card. A replacement is issued from the original shipment and the original pass is canceled (deactivated). No other changes occur.
Q3 Billing: $9,021 (93 cards x $97). A separate credit is applied to the account for $86 ($91 – replacement fee $5)
During Q3, two new students enroll in the program. There are now a total of 95 passes in the active pass list.
Q4 Billing: $9,215 (95 passes x $97)
No changes occur during Q4. At the end of the quarter, there are four passes remaining from the original shipment (one was used to replace a lost pass). The administrator returns the four passes by July 15. Metro Transit issues a refund or credit in the amount of $388 (4 passes x $97).
How to promote the Student Pass
Promotional brochures and posters
Display brochures and posters in high-traffic areas to promote the Student Pass. If you would like a customized brochure printed in large quantity (more than 1,000 copies) or a customized poster, please contact the outreach specialist in your area or contact Metro Transit to learn about options.
Contact us or the outreach specialist in your area with any questions about the Student Pass program.