Youth in grades TK through 12th can enjoy free rides to and from school all year by taking advantage of SacRT’s RydeFreeRT, the fare-free transit program for students/youth.
New RydeFreeRT cards with a valid date of June 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, are available for students/youth to ride the entire SacRT transit network, including SacRT fixed-route buses, light rail, and SmaRT Ride on-demand microtransit service for FREE!
RydeFreeRT is available all day, any day of the week during regular SacRT service hours.
To ride free, students/youth simply need a valid RydeFreeRT card. Youth who are experiencing homelessness or taking part in foster programs are also allowed to participate in the program regardless of current residence or school address.
Students and youth who do not have a RydeFreeRT card can visit SacRT’s Customer Service and Sales Center located at 1225 R Street (adjacent to the 13th Street Station) or a participating Sacramento library. For more information, visit rydefreert.com or call 916-321-BUSS (2877).
Launched in 2019, RydeFreeRT was the first unrestricted youth fare-free ride program in the country. The program allows all 265,000 youth living in SacRT’s service area, from transitional kindergarten to 12th grade, including home-schooled students, foster and unhoused youth to ride all buses and light rail trains for free, all day, any day of the year.
The RydeFreeRT program has helped boost student ridership, which now accounts for nearly 25% of all SacRT bus and light rail rides over the last year. In fact, student ridership carried 4.2 million youth in FY 2024, double what it was in 2019 pre-pandemic.
Note: The RydeFreeRT program does not apply to those over 18 years old that are pursuing their GED.