Nonprofits Focused On Disconnected Youth Cautiously Celebrate Free Bus Fares For Students

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT – Advocates are lauding a new transportation program that could have a significant impact on efforts to help disconnected youth get back to school and work, although some are more cautious in their appraisal. 

As part of the appropriations bill Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is required to establish a $2.5 million grant program to provide free bus passes to K-12 students and veterans. The program must be up and running by July 1.

Transportation was a major component of the 119K Commission’s Young People First report, which examined the causes of and potential solutions for 119,000 teenagers and young adults across the state who are disconnected from school or work, or at risk of becoming disconnected.

Students who were interviewed for the report shared stories of their lack of access to transportation, unsafe routes they must take, and long walks to reach bus stops. Transportation, instead of facilitating movement to great opportunities, becomes a barrier to extracurricular activities and work opportunities, leading to disconnection, the report concluded. 

Advocates from the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation and the New Haven Climate Movement applauded the funding. In a joint statement, they called on the DOT to model the new program after the successful Hartford High School bus pass pilot program.

“We’re grateful Gov. Lamont took the seat we saved for him on this bus,” said Jay Stange of the coalition. “With a few strokes of his pen, the Governor has helped thousands of Connecticut residents to live healthier, more connected lives. Now we turn to DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto to work with us to make sure bus passes get into the hands of high school students and Veterans in our state starting July 1.”

Hector Rivera, president and CEO of the youth development nonprofit Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) in Hartford, said that a significant number of youth who participate in OPP activities use public transportation, and providing bus passes would help those students remain active.

He also pointed out the economic benefits to the state of a more mobile youth workforce.

“Many of our high school students, and even our students who have graduated from high school, rely on public transportation to get to and from part-time or full-time employment and job training that might lead to a workforce opportunity,” he said. “By making the cost of transportation more affordable, it helps our population participate in the local economy, gain the valuable work skills and experience that they need to be successful in economic mobility, without spending a lot of the same money that they earn back on transportation.”

In Bridgeport, the challenges that disconnected youth face may limit the effectiveness of the program. Catalyst CT, a nonprofit in the city, runs a program that works with students dealing with street and gang violence. Marc Donald, president and CEO, said in an interview that students in the program tend to avoid public transportation because of the risks of encountering someone who wants to harm them.

Free fares don’t aid his students, which is why Donald said he is focused on careful evaluation of outcomes from the change.

“You can give the city of Bridgeport 21,000 bus passes,” he said, “but does chronic absenteeism go down? Does truancy go down? Is there growth with a certain section of students?”

With a new school year only a few months away, he said he’d watch for ridership data to assess the impact of the free bus fare funding. In the meantime, Donald said he’s keeping in mind that reducing transportation costs for disconnected youth won’t solve all the problems.

“I think transportation is part of a much larger issue,” Donald said. “If we continue to try and address [disconnected youth] by a piecemeal effort or one-off that we think is going to work, without coordinating all the interventions, I don’t see us making much progress. And I am optimistic that we can do it as long as we’re evaluating what works, and stopping putting money in things that don’t work, quite frankly.”