Contacts:

John Collins
REEP Youth Organizer
john@ace-ej.org, (617) 442-3343 x234

Shaka McPherson
BYOP Citywide Organizer
shaka@byop.org (617) 262-1895

Dave Jenkins
REEP Youth Organizer,
dave@ace-ej.org, (857) 919-0649

Photos available

On the eve of the new school year, Boston-area youth have achieved a major improvement to public transportation by working with the Secretary of Transportation to extend the MBTA Student Pass from 8 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

1. The Youth Way on the MBTA campaign, led by young people from REEP and BYOP has built a successful partnership with Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi. Together we are working toward broader access and quality of service for youth riders.

2. As a short term improvement, Secretary Aloisi has agreed to extend the time of the Student Pass to 11:00 p.m. beginning in September 2009.

3. Many students who couldn’t afford to get home from school or extra-curricular activities after 8:00 p.m. will benefit from the Student Pass extension.

4. The Youth Way campaign remains commited to working for the creation of a Youth Pass that would increase access to public transportation for all young people, 12-21 years old. Secretary Aloisi has commited to study the creation of a Youth Pass.

Youth Way campaign
Youth Way on the MBTA is a campaign of the Boston-area Youth Organizing Project (BYOP) and the Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP) with support from the T Riders Union (TRU). Both REEP and TRU are programs of Alternatives for Community & Environment (ACE), an environmental justice organization in Roxbury. This campaign was started in 2007 with the goals of promoting affordable access, safety, and quality service for youth riders of the MBTA. So far we have engaged over 3000 Boston-area youth to work toward improved service and affordability. Together we are fighting for youth transit justice.

Support from Secretary Aloisi
On June 29, 2009, REEP and BYOP met with Secretary Aloisi to gain his support for the Youth Way campaign. Secretary Aloisi agreed to show public support for the Youth Way campaign, research the viability of a new Youth Pass, extend the existing Student Pass to 11:00 p.m. and to hold additional meetings with the Youth Way campaign. Secretary Aloisi also attended REEP's Youth Summit on July 24 to hear directly from Boston youth about their experiences on the T. We greatly appreciate Secretary Aloisi's attention to youth issues and we look forward to continuing this groundbreaking partnership on behalf of all youth riders!

Hardships for Youth on MBTA
Many Boston-area students have difficulty getting to and from school, work and activities. Common examples include problems obtaining a Student Pass from school, getting stranded after 8:00 p.m. when the Student Pass expires, bus drivers bypassing youth at bus stops and youth without a Student Pass not being able to afford fares. Transportation hardships impact young people's safety and wellbeing. This is not quality service for youth riders of the MBTA.

Impact of the Student Pass Extension
The extension of the Student Pass from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. is a major improvement for Student Pass holders. Students have many commitments that leave them traveling after 8:00 p.m. including sports, after school programs, study halls and jobs. This improvement will also benefit everyone on the T by reducing bus driver-youth conflicts over use of the Student Pass in the evenings.

Need for a Youth Pass
While the Student Pass extension is an improvement, there are still major problems facing young people's access to the MBTA that cannot be addressed without a Youth Pass. The Youth Way campaign estimates that the Student Pass only reaches between 12-15 percent of Boston-area youth between 12-21 years old. We are excited to continue working with Secretary Aloisi and the MBTA to investigate the creation of a broader Youth Pass and improving young people's access to the MBTA.