Glendale Community College has launched a fare-less transportation program GoPass for the 2022-2023 school year. The program is sponsored by the GCC CARES office, geared toward funding programs to help students meet basic needs since its inception. GoPass is the most recent one. GoPass provides GCC students taking one credit or noncredit course with free unlimited rides on public transportation in most systems in Los Angeles County, including all Metro buses and rail lines, all Glendale Beelines, and 12 other municipal transit systems.

According to the National League of Cities, “almost 70% of Metro customers are very low or extremely low-income earners; the median household income of Metro riders is just over $19,000 per year.” Therefore, the groups of people with the most financial hardship are the ones to carry the burden of paying daily for public transportation.“Community college students will spend an average of $1,840 on transportation during the 2021-22 school year — more than their counterparts at public and private four-year colleges — the College Board reports,” according to the Washington Post.

Community college students are the most affected by the expensive day and monthly passes for public transit, and with Los Angeles having the most expensive transit among the largest counties in the country, the issue is clearly in our own backyard. This is why, supporters say, the new GoPass program is so important for GCC students. GCC Cares seeks to  allow students to focus on their coursework and academic careers without worrying about how they’ll be able to commute to class. 

The application for GoPass is free and available on the GCC website under Student Basic Needs and all students taking one credit or noncredit course can apply. Students can either pick up their pass at the GCC CARES office, or have it mailed to them. Passes are valid for the entire year, just after the students use it at least once in the first 30 days.