Victor Valley Transit offers Excelsior Charter Schools students free transit

Excelsior Charter School students can now ride Victor Valley Transit Authority buses fare-free to and from school and other destinations in the Victor Valley.

The Hesperia-based VVTA announced this week that Excelsior joins the ranks of Options for Youth, Victor Valley College and California State University, San Bernardino in subsidizing free rides to all its registered students.

The six-month promotional program gives students the opportunity to ride VVT fixed and county routes fare-free. The only requirement is that they show their current student ID to the bus operator upon boarding.

The offer is for the following Excelsior campuses: Victorville Main, Victorville North, Barstow and Phelan

"The Excelsior and VVTA partnership allows our students to ride the regional bus network fare-free, and it is life-changing," Excelsior Superintendent Derek King said. “Our agreement helps protect parents' freedom of choice. Distant families no longer have the financial burden of transporting their child to school when Excelsior is their preferred educational setting."

Also paramount in this partnership is giving more youth access to shared rides that reduce car traffic congestion at the entrances to the campuses, VVTA officials said. Additionally, it helps reduce traffic on local roads and improves the air quality in the process.

“Many of our student’s parents work and struggle during business hours in providing rides to and from school," said Phelan Campus Principal Michelia McDonald, “I have already received notification from students that will be utilizing this program as part of their day-to-day transportation. We are extremely thankful that our students have access to additional support and resources that they would otherwise not be able to receive consistently and in person."

Free transportation transcends beyond education; it promotes the value of public transportation while providing additional opportunities outside school hours, such as after-school activities, study groups, social interactions and part-time jobs, VVTA officials said.

“VVTA cares that the students of the High Desert have the opportunity to get the best education by partnering up with schools to provide more bus transportation opportunities free of charge to the students," shared VVTA Board Chair and City of Victorville Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Becerra. "Not only does it provide more transportation options, but it teaches students the merits of using public transportation in our community.”

The Free-Fare Rides for Students Program comes at a lower cost to the school’s transportation budget and at no additional cost to the students or their families. Excelsior students began taking full advantage of the VVTA opportunity at the start of the program in December.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victor Valley Transit offers Excelsior Charter Schools students free transit