In Our View: Let this Bus Keep Rolling

An extension of C-Tran’s Youth Opportunity Pass is a worthy experiment that deserves a full year by which to be assessed.

That was the conclusion of C-Tran board members, who recently unanimously voted to expand the program that provides bus passes for at-risk high school and middle school students in Clark County. Under last year’s program, which got underway in November, a total of 544 C-Tran passes were handed out to students at 23 participating schools in the Vancouver and Evergreen districts. The program provides bus passes that allow for transportation throughout much of C-Tran’s service area and, through coordination with the city of Vancouver, provides access to local community centers.

In so doing, the program gives students greater access to jobs along with fitness and social opportunities and, in some cases, transportation to school if district bus service is not available. In short, it gives them the opportunity to be more engaged with their surrounding community. The eligibility of students is determined by individual schools that consider, among other factors, whether or not a student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.

The plan for the coming year extends the program to include the Camas, Washougal, and Battle Ground school districts, with Vancouver City Councilor Bart Hansen noting of the outlying areas, “they’ve contributed in the first year to something they’ve received little or no benefit from.” Hansen, it should be mentioned, originally devised the Youth Opportunity Pass idea and has been its biggest proponent. The updated proposal also provides for up to 3,000 bus passes this year that will be valid through the summer of 2017, which Ridgefield City Councilor John Main supported by saying, “It just seems like … when school’s out and these passes go away, we’re taking away a great opportunity for kids that maybe have summer jobs.”

While the program has obvious benefits, it must for now remain merely an experiment. A monthly youth pass for transit within the agency’s C-Zone costs $30, and some students who receive a free Youth Opportunity Pass might otherwise have purchased their passes. Scott Patterson, the agency’s director of development and public affairs, estimated that over the course of the year the impact for C-Tran would be about $10,000 in lost revenue.

Financial impact must be a part of any discussion involving public transportation, but it should not be the overriding factor. Public transportation is, by its nature, publicly subsidized — a taxpayer-funded endeavor that recognizes the community assets of providing transportation for people who might not have access to private automobiles or might not have a desire to use them if they do have access.

Such service has benefits that extend beyond the cost to taxpayers. Many businesses rely upon consumers who use public transportation, and there are environmental benefits to having fewer cars on the road. Clark County council Chair Marc Boldt also pointed out the long-term impact of providing passes for young riders: “That would be the goal, I think, of the board, is this will make adult riders, and they will pay their fair share in the next so many years.”

Because of its late start and the fact that is was enacted on a small scale, the Youth Opportunity Pass provided only a small sample size by which to measure its effectiveness. C-Tran board members are wise to expand the program and to afford it a full year by which to measure its effectiveness and assess its long-term impact.