NORFOLK, Va. — According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the number of teens getting a driver's license has been declining for a while now. But kids still have to get places, so what’s changing? Maybe, apart from rides from parents, more teens could be taking public transportation?
News 3 caught up with Gus Maxwell, a Public Outreach Coordinator with Hampton Roads Transit.
“As licenses go down, I would think that public transit passes would go up as a way to fill in that gap,” he said.
Since 2016, HRT has offered students aged 13 to 17 the chance to sign up for a Student Freedom Pass. The pass gives them the option of free, unlimited rides on HRT’s services.
“We’re almost at 2,000 for this year. It puts us at way higher pace than where we were last year, and that’s really just because of the way the community has bought into it,” Maxwell told News 3.
At the Freedom Pass sign up event at Hampton High School last August, News 3 had the chance to talk to students interested in using the pass.
“It was really fun, going on the bus and getting to use my pass for free. I don’t have to pay anything. And it’s really efficient: you can go from here to Norfolk to Virginia Beach,” one senior at the high school told us.
With more students opting to take public transportation, HRT is now trying to keep them interested as they enter the workforce and beyond. This summer, they will be setting up a Student Transit Riders Commission to get feedback from young people.
“The goal of that is to pick their brains and say, 'Hey, we would like to get more riders from this age group on the bus. What can we do to bridge that gap?'” Maxwell said.
HRT would like to have two students on the commission from each city they serve. Maxwell says these students will get volunteer hours, which is great to have on a college application, as well as the chance to network with local transportation leaders.
“We can work with our real commissioners with our student commissioners and maybe get something that’s suited to them next year,” Maxwell said.
You can find a link to apply here. Applications are now being accepted.
