Free Trips for Youth Get Rolling Early with TARTA’s Youth Summer Blast Pass

TARTA looks forward to connecting northwest Ohioans of all ages to the things that make this region great this summer. By extending the time frame for the Youth Summer Blast Pass program, TARTA took an extra step recently to ensure that transportation costs would not be a barrier for youth trying to reach work, recreation, educational opportunities, or any other destination. 

The Youth Summer Blast Pass – now in its third year – will be effective on May 18.  Youth between the ages of 6 and 19 can apply for a digital or physical pass and ride free on all TARTA services through the end of August. In previous years, this program had allowed free rides on fixed route, paratransit and on-demand services from the start of June.

“There was a significant hike between year one and year two in the number of passes applied for, and almost 37,000 rides taken,” said TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski. “There is clearly a need for this program, and we are happy to extend it to begin when schools let out for summer. We want to do everything we can to help put our young people in touch with the great things in this community.

“This is not just about getting our students and young adults where they need to go, it is also providing a helping hand to their families and our local economy. We want to make sure that every family – regardless of their ability to afford a car or a rideshare – can have access to festivals, concerts, employment or educational opportunities.”

One of those educational opportunities is the Toledo Lucas County Public Library’s Summer Read program, and TARTA is partnering with the library again to make Youth Summer Blast Passes available at each branch. The library’s Summer Read program kicks off June 2.

Youth can sign up for a Blast Pass can by signing up at tarta.com/blast, by filling out an application at any library branch or TARTA’s Transit Hub (612 N. Huron Street), or by speaking to a TARTA representative at a number of public events this summer.