Thousands of San Jose State University students are ready to start using their Clipper BayPass, allowing them to ride buses, light rail, and trains throughout the Bay Area for free over the next two years.  The Spartan community planned a full day of celebration to commemorate the occasion, starting with a press conference to announce the passes.

SJSU, the City of San Jose, and VTA representatives helped launch the free passes as a pilot program created by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Around fifty thousand Bay area residents will participate, Including students from San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, the University of California’s Berkeley campus, Santa Rosa Junior College, and residents of specific affordable housing communities.

The BayPass will allow enrolled students free access to 24 Bay Area transit operators that accept the Clipper Card, including VTA, AC Transit, BART, and Caltrain.

Deborah Dagang, VTA’s Chief of Planning and Programs, hailed the pass as something that will help VTA’s work to protect the environment while allowing students more freedom of travel.

“Do you want to go to a social event in San Francisco? Or to an internship in San Mateo County,” Dagang asked the audience of students. “This pass is going to make this more doable,” she said.

SJSU Interim President Steve Perez called the pilot program an important innovation and said he expects it to help the university achieve its environmental goals but, most importantly, contribute to the student’s success.

 “Students need basic needs to be successful, and one of those basic needs is transportation,” said Perez. “How can you be a successful student if you can’t get to campus regularly? How can you economically get to campus in a sustainable way?”

San Jose State University has one of the largest student commuter populations in the state; thousands rely on public transit daily, but affordability is an issue for many. With the Clipper BayPass, students like Dhruv Varshney won’t have to worry about it, at least while the program lasts.

“I commute from Fremont every day, five days a week, using Bart and VTA. Thanks to the Baypass, I am saving thousands of dollars over the course of a semester.”

To continue with the celebrations, SJSU students planned “Transit Ride Along” and will conclude with a party on Thursday night, September 29.