Students Ride Free Summer Transit Program

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

In an effort to remove the biggest barrier to positive community programs, the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners partnered with Treasure Coast Connector, the area’s community transit system operator, to offer free bus rides to students during the summer months. Any student under the age of 18 with a valid St. Lucie County school ID or St. Lucie County Library Card could ride the Treasure Coast Connector’s fixed routes for free from June 4 through Aug. 14. The program generated nearly 3,500 free bus rides for students, providing them with access to libraries, summer jobs and community pools. The library system experienced a significant increase in its attendance and participation of its summer reading programs with more than 4,500 children attending events. The library’s summer reading challenge program attracted 2,188 children who picked up reading logs – a 137 percent increase over 2014. Six-hundred and eighty four students completed the challenge, a 256 percent increase compared to the previous year. The teen reading challenge saw a 264 percent increase in the number of students obtaining reading logs, with 518 picking up the forms and 101 completing the challenge for a 57 percent increase over last summer.