LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — More students than ever in the Clark County School District are taking public transportation through RTC of Southern Nevada.
Ridership use soared in the 2024-2025 school year, with 219,000 rides from students utilizing 8,844 digital semester passes, according to RTC officials.
The Ride On partnership program began in 2021 in an effort to provide transportation to high school students along busy thoroughfares, all in an effort to alleviate the bus driver shortage; from 15 schools to start, the program has now expanded to 21 high schools. Eligible students can get free digital semester passes.
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Outside the program, other students are eligible for discounted monthly passes.
As more students attend charter or magnet schools across the Valley, FOX5 has learned that other families are increasingly relying on public transit options for students.
For teens with many extracurricular activities, families tell FOX5, using public transportation saves them time and money.
“It’s generally a nice experience, and you get to see the people around you. Everyone has so many different stories when taking the bus,” said West Career & Technical Academy senior Matthew Rosique, who started taking transit as a freshman.
“Around the beginning, my parents were still able to give me rides to school and pick me up from school. But as I started joining as many clubs as I could and even outside of school, I was doing a lot and making sure I was engaged in my community. It kind of naturally came to the point where I had to have the conversation with my parents,” Rosique said.
His advice to students? Plan their routes in advance, and get to the bus stop five minutes early, he tells FOX5.
CCSD has virtual seminars on August 3 and 4 for parents and families eligible for the Ride On program. Click here for more: CCSD Ride On
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