PUEBLO—Pueblo Transit Board received official notice from the Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG) for the award of the Multimodal Transportation and Mitigation Option Fund (MMOF) grant in the amount of $65,000 to provide free transit service for youth. Youth include kindergarten to grade 12 for the 2023-2024 school year.
“Pueblo Transit is grateful for the support from PACOG to offer free fare for the youth in our community during this school year,” said Director of Transit Ben Valdez. “Making public transportation more accessible and affordable to children in kindergarten through high school is a win for the entire community.”
Pueblo Transit has offered a waived fare for students in the K-12 age group since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with ridership costs being covered by Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) funding and Pueblo Transit general fund budget. The waived ridership cost begins on Friday, Sept. 1 and will remain in place through the conclusion of the 2023-2024 academic year ending June 3, 2024.
“The PACOG/MPO is honored to be able to assistance Pueblo Transit provide free transit service for Pueblo youth, we believe this will reduce transportation barriers and provide beneficial opportunities for our youth,” said MPO Manager Eva Cosyleon.
This announcement for free fares for school aged youth comes as a follow up to the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative sponsored by the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA). Zero Fare for Better Air expanded from the initial program of one month in August of 2022, to include June, July and August in 2023.
PACOG is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Pueblo area as required by Title 23 of federal statues for both long-term and short-term urban transportation planning. PACOG continues the transportation planning process and works jointly with the City of Pueblo, Pueblo Transit, the Pueblo County Department of Planning and other external agencies.