WOODLAND, CA (MPG) -  On October 12, 2020, the Yolo County Transportation District Board of Directors voted unanimously to extend its “Youth Ride Free” program, to December 31, 2021, offering unlimited free rides to youth age 18 and younger throughout its service area.  Kids can ride at no cost to a large number of destinations, including stores, shopping centers, libraries, parks, places of employment, youth internship sites, schools (when they are open to students again), parks, recreational facilities, places like Old Sacramento, the State Capitol and anywhere else that Yolobus fixed route, microtransit, and paratransit bus service travels.

“Prior to COVID-19, our Youth Ride Free program was having tremendous success, with youth ridership jumping by 189 percent for September, 2019 through March, 2020 (over 7 months), where ridership jumped from 25,548 to 73,837, and it was poised to hit  127,000 rides over 12 months,” said Janice Bryan, YCTD’s Deputy Director of Finance.  Then COVID-19 hit.  “We want to expand our outreach to youth throughout the Yolobus service area and let them know that Yolobus is a safe and dependable way to get around,” said Terry Bassett, Executive Director of Yolobus.  “Not only will the free rides save money for the kids, it will also save parents from shuttle service duty.”

Yolobus officials indicate that the estimated $30,000 reduction in fare revenue from the Youth Ride Free program through December 31, 2021 will be paid for using transit revenues made available by the CARES Act, also known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Many safety measures are in place to protect youth and other bus riders from COVID-19, including:

1. Face coverings are required for both passengers and drivers.
2. While supplies last, there are limited quantities of extra face coverings available on the buses for passengers who do not come with their own face covering.    But Yolobus strongly advises passengers to bring their own face coverings, as supplies are limited.
3. All employees have their temperatures taken before they can begin their shift.
4. All buses have a sneeze barrier that separates the drivers from the passengers.
5. Hand sanitizing devices are now installed on the entire fleet.
6. Buses placed into service are sanitized daily and sometimes even more frequently.
7. Drivers have been instructed to wipe down “bus touch surfaces”, like grab rails and stanchions, at the end of each bus trip.
8. In an effort to provide social distancing, Yolobus asks riders to honor a limit of no more than 15 passengers on low-floor buses, no more than 26 passengers on MCI highway coaches, and no more than three passengers on paratransit vehicles.

The free rides for youth pilot program is subject to available capacity of routes and schedules in effect. There will be no additional buses put into service or different destinations than the regular bus stop schedule. Because Yolobus passengers have a right to a safe and comfortable ride from the beginning to the end of their trip, youth will be expected to adhere to all passenger rules. A complete list of rules is available at the www.yolobus.com  site.   

“This program is more than a student program,” adds Bassett. “It is for all youth within our fixed route and paratransit service area. Identification will not be asked for, unless there is a need to verify if someone is over 18, in which case, we advise youth to bring their school ID.”

The free ride for youth program requires children under the age of 12 to ride with a companion aged 12 or older.

About Yolobus

Yolobus operates 57 full-size buses, most of which operate on compressed natural gas (CNG) or are battery—electric units, plus 12 smaller paratransit vehicles that offer curb-to-curb paratransit service. Yolobus serves Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, Woodland, downtown Sacramento, Sacramento International Airport, Cache Creek Casino Resort, Esparto, Madison, Knights Landing, and Vacaville and connects to Unitrans and Fairfield-Suisun Transit in Davis, and Sac RT buses and light rail in Sacramento. The agency provides about one million rides a year. For route and schedule information visit www.yolobus.com .or call (530) 666-BUSS (2877).

About YOUR Ride

YOUR (Yolobus Urban/Rural) Ride is Yolobus’ new Knights Landing and Winters Rural Microtransit Pilot Project, an on-demand ride-share service primarily to help Knights Landing, Winters and El Rio Villa residents travel more easily within Yolo County, particularly between Knights Landing and Woodland and between Winters, Davis and Vacaville.  The service is available on a first-come, first-served, same day basis and operates six days a week for Winters and seven days a week for Knights Landing. Available only to persons traveling in the Knights Landing-Woodland corridor and the Davis-El Rio Villa-Winters-Vacaville corridor, riders can request a ride using the mobile app called TripShot, or by calling (530) 666-2877. For more information visit www.yolobus.com/yourride.