Transportation Services will begin accepting online applications for the 2019-20 RIDEpass reduced-fare mass transit program beginning Saturday, June 15.
The RIDEpass mass transit program provides access to all CATABUS routes to eligible University Park faculty, staff and graduate students for only $21 per month. Transportation Services covers the remaining cost of each pass to encourage the use of mass transit, reduce vehicle congestion on campus, and promote sustainable transportation.
Anyone interested in participating in the RIDEpass program during the 2019-20 program year, including current members, must complete a new online application transportation.psu.edu. Faculty/staff and graduate student program eligibility requirements for the program remain unchanged from the 2018-19 academic year:
- Must be employed in a standing, fixed-term I, fixed-term multi-year or post-doctoral position at University Park, or be enrolled as a graduate, law or medical student with University Park as the primary campus of enrollment
- Must live off campus at a residence that does not already participate in a CATABUS program
- Must live more than 0.75 miles (walking distance) from a CATA campus service Blue Loop or Red Link stop (Not sure if your address qualifies? Try using our distance web tool)
- Must live within the CATA service area
- May not have a daytime-access Penn State parking permit (or must return this permit when purchasing the RIDEpass), but may register for an evening/weekend parking permit
Upon successful completion of the application, participants will receive an email confirmation with details regarding when passes will be available for pickup at the Transportation Services office. Current pass holders will have access to an early pickup period in June, while new member pickup will begin Monday, July 1. Current pass holders will be required to return their existing RIDEpass (which expire on June 30) when picking up the new pass, and graduate student participants will also be required to return their existing evening/weekend parking permit if they wish to purchase a new permit. The Transportation Services office is located at 1 Eisenhower Parking Deck and open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Anyone not currently enrolled in the RIDEpass program who wishes to obtain a pass for the remainder of the 2018-19 program year (through June 2019) must apply no later than Friday, June 14, with pickup required by 5 p.m. that day. These and all 2018-19 passes will expire on June 30, 2019.
Questions regarding program eligibility should be directed by email to ridepass@psu.edu. For general questions regarding the RIDEpass program and other programs offered by Transportation Services, please call 865-1436.