Tulsa Public Schools’ 8,500 high school students can ride Tulsa Transit buses for free starting Aug. 1.
Through a partnership called TPS Rides, students just need their school ID to ride for free any weekday.
"Our students are busy people, they have active lives, and we want to encourage them to be able to be active throughout our community," said TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist. "Mobility is really key, and this is something that so many people in the community have been promoting."
Gist said the district’s bus drivers do a great job, but sometimes students just need flexibility.
"Sometimes students miss the buss. Sometimes they need to stay late at school," Gist said. "Sometimes they need to get early to school, whether that's for athletics or other extracurricular activities, or maybe they need extra help or to stay with a teacher or meet a teacher before school."
East Central senior Kyla McIntosh has basketball practice and a part-time job across town to get to and says TPS Rides will help her family.
"My mother works a full-time job, so she gives me rides when she can, but if she can't, I end up taking the bus," McIntosh said. "I know bus fare may not seem like a lot, but taking it more than once throughout the week starts to add up."
The program starts three weeks before classes to benefit students in summer activities. Gist hopes students take advantage of the program for more than just getting to and from school, saying they could travel to volunteer work or local museums.
