SMART E-Newsletter August 2025

Safely Connecting You to Work and School

As the 2025 to 2026 academic year approaches, Sacramentans are preparing for the return to school routines. Whether getting to campus by boarding light rail, biking, or driving on the city's roads, this season is a reminder of how important it is to have safe, reliable, and affordable ways to get around.

While many still face barriers to reliable transportation, especially youth, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families, there are also signs of meaningful progress. Programs like Ryde Free RT, which allows students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade to ride Sacramento Regional Transit at no cost, are helping expand access and reduce financial burdens for working families.

This month, SMART is highlighting the role public transportation plays in connecting people to opportunity. By continuing to prioritize accessibility, safety, and affordability, Sacramento can move closer to a system that works for everyone.

Board Member Column: Transportation That Builds Opportunity

By Sam Rice, SMART Board Member

As students across the Sacramento region return to school, many rely on public transportation or travel by foot or bike. For these students and their families, access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation is essential for getting to class and participating in daily life.

Programs like SacRT’s RydeFreeRT, which provides fare-free rides to all students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, have become a key resource for working families. These programs reduce financial strain, support school attendance, and help parents and guardians better manage their schedules. They also benefit the broader community by easing congestion, improving air quality, and build transit ridership by getting school aged children familiar with it early in life. For students of all ages, using transit builds confidence and independence, giving them more control over their daily routines and a stronger connection to their communities.

The Safe Routes to School program, led by Civic Thread, is another example of how transportation investments can create lasting change. This initiative has supported more than 100 schools across seven counties and helped secure over $8.5 million in infrastructure improvements. The program encourages walking and biking, which increases physical activity, supports academic performance, and creates safer, healthier neighborhoods. These outcomes contribute directly to public health, sustainability, and economic development goals throughout the region.

RydeFreeRT and Safe Routes to School are not just helpful programs. They are community assets that reflect our values and priorities. Their continued success depends on long-term investment. When we support transportation options that work for families, we build a region where more people can thrive.

These efforts help shape a Sacramento that is more connected, more inclusive, and better prepared for the future. Let’s keep that momentum going.

“A city that invests in student safety and accessibility invests in its future. Every safe walk to school and every free ride on transit is a win for families, neighborhoods, and Sacramento as a whole.”
— Sam Rice, SMART Board Member 

Fare-Free Transit: The Power of the RydeFreeRT Program

Launched in 2019, the RydeFreeRT program has transformed how Sacramento youth access education and opportunity. By providing fare-free public transit for all TK–12 students, including those in charter and homeschool programs, this initiative removes a major barrier to consistent school attendance.

Impact

  • Youth riders make up 30% of the total SacRT ridership

  • Over 30,000 student rides per month

  • Valid 7 days a week on SacRT buses and light rail

  • Saves families hundreds of dollars per student each year

By eliminating fare costs, RydeFreeRT increases access, reduces absenteeism, supports after-school participation, and encourages independence in young riders. This is what equitable transportation looks like.

While the program’s benefits are clear, maintaining and expanding fare-free service requires sustained investment. Unlike regions such as the Bay Area and San Diego, where transit agencies receive a half-cent sales tax, Sacramento Regional Transit is funded through just a quarter-cent portion of Measure A. This half-cent sales tax was first approved by voters in 1988, renewed in 2004, and is currently set to expire in 2039. That limited and time-bound funding makes the success of programs like RydeFreeRT even more significant and highlights the importance of ongoing local and regional support to keep students connected.

Learn more: sacrt.com/sacrts-rydefreert-program-fare-free-transit-for-youth-grades-tk-12

Project Spotlight: Connecting Education and Community Through the Blue Line

The SacRT Blue Line to Cosumnes River College (CRC) stands as a major investment in regional mobility. Completed in 2015, this 4.3-mile light rail extension connects the Meadowview Road station to four new stations at Morrison Creek, Franklin, Center Parkway, and CRC. The project also delivered two new light rail bridges and a modern transit center at CRC, giving commuters a convenient alternative to Highway 99 and helping ease congestion on Interstate 5.

This extension has notably improved access to education by directly serving the CRC campus while also supporting long-term ridership growth, with projections of more than 11,000 average weekday trips by 2030. It created 1,700 jobs during construction and continues to contribute to better air quality in the region by reducing car dependence.

Today, the work continues. SacRT, in partnership with the City of Elk Grove, is evaluating the next phase of high-capacity transit service to connect more residents with the growing regional system. The Blue Line/Bus Rapid Transit to Elk Grove Implementation Plan is currently assessing two options, a further light rail extension or a new bus rapid transit (BRT) line, spanning from Cosumnes River College to Kammerer Road near State Route 99.

As our region grows, projects like the Blue Line extension serve as a strong foundation for a better-connected Sacramento. But meeting future demand will require continued investment and collaboration across jurisdictions. Long-term planning and funding are essential to expand access, reduce congestion, and bring reliable transportation within reach for more people.

Image Source: Passenger Transport