Starting this school year, eligible Houston ISD high school students can ride METRO transit at no cost, a new collaboration designed to ease transportation challenges for families.
Only high school students who qualify for district-provided transportation are eligible to receive a METRO Q® Card at no cost. Families interested in the program must complete the transportation request form available on the HISD website. Once approved, families will be informed on how to collect a preloaded METRO card from their student’s school.
The METRO Q® Card allows eligible students to ride local buses, METRORail, and curb2curb services for free, helping students gain mobility and families reduce transportation costs.
“We want to make sure eligible students and their families know how to take advantage of this important opportunity,” said METRO Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock. “This program is already making a difference, and we look forward to seeing more students benefit from it as the new school year approaches.”
To qualify for transportation, students must meet one or more of these criteria:
- Attend their zoned school and live more than two miles away
- Be a magnet or transfer student attending a school outside their zone
- Have a hazardous walking route to school
- Attend a school due to overcrowding or special programs and live over two miles away
The district says this change will reduce student ride times, with a maximum of 50 minutes for zoned students and 80 minutes for magnet students.
Students who do not qualify for a free card through the district can still purchase a METRO Q® Student Fare Card, which offers rides at a discounted fare of 60 cents per trip, available to all students regardless of school or district.
For more details and to apply for transportation or discounted fares, HISD families can visit the district’s transportation department website or use METRO’s online RideStore.