The Victor Valley Transit Authority announced that all San Bernardino County high school, middle, and elementary school students can now ride public transit for free. The one-year pilot program is sponsored by the larger San Bernardino County Transportation Authority. The program started on August 7, 2023. Students can ride buses for free, seven days a week, on any of the VVTA Fixed or County Routes just by showing their current student ID to the bus operator. The free ride program also applies to select charter school students enrolled at Options for Youth or Excelsior Charter School, which includes the Phelan campus.
Reliable transportation is also available for local college students, where the VVTA continues to provide free rides for students enrolled at Victor Valley College with a valid VVC ID card. The VVC student ID can be used during the term (or semester) for which they were issued, which spans from the official term start date through the first week of the next term. Rides are free for VVC students daily on all VVTA Fixed and County Route buses.
A similar transit program shows signs of success for LA County students. The LA Metro offers K-12 and community college students unlimited free rides for all buses, light rail trains, and subways during the entire school year. The program allows students to be independent but also helps the LA Metro ridership grow since they saw a decline during the pandemic.
But unlike LA, the Tri-Community is more vast and spread out, which may create time restraints for students to rely entirely on bus routes to get around. I decided to see how long it would take to get around as a Serrano High School student leaving the campus on a weekday afternoon.
Trip to the Victor Valley Mall (1 hour 6 min)
- 26-minute walk to the bus stop on Phelan Road from Serrano
- 40-minute bus ride to the Victor Valley Mall
Trip to Wrightwood Skate Park (59 min)
- 29-minute walk to the bus stop on Phelan Road from Serrano
- 24-minute bus ride to the Wrightwood Community Center
- 4-minute walk to the skate park on Apple Ave.
Trip to Target Shopping Center in Hesperia (40 min)
- 26-minute walk to the bus stop on Phelan Road from Serrano
- 14-minute bus ride on Phelan Road to the Super Target
The 1.3-mile walk to the initial bus stop from Serrano High impacts the overall travel time but could be cut in half if the student has a bike or skateboard. Apple Valley High School has 2 VVTA bus stops on opposite corners of their campus at Bear Valley Rd. and Navajo Rd. Placing a bus stop in front of the Serrano campus would be more beneficial but less utilized during the weekends. For more information about these student bus programs, please call the Victor Valley Transit Authority at 760-948-4021.
Victor Valley Transit will also be offering free rides for the entire month of October to celebrate its 30th anniversary. All VVTA bus services are free for everyone and includes fixed routes, direct access, metro-link, Route 15, and commuter. Visit vvta.org/30strong for more info.
