Kids Ride Free Cards

[Anonymous]

it pings on the metro now. they have recently stepped up enforcement against adult family members using them

[Anonymous]

OP here. Okay sounds like as long as it’s the kid using it (I’d never let an adult use it!) we’re fine for him to use it whenever, that’s the consensus. Aligns with what I’ve heard from others. Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

I take the bus at least 3 days a week, and I’ve never seen a kid of any age scan a card, on any day of the week. It would be different for metro if you’re not with them, of course, since they can’t get through the turnstile. I also had never heard the “educational” limitation.

[Anonymous]

The folks who say they’ve never heard of the educational limitation. Read the thread. It’s literally posted in this thread. That said, educational is super broad, clearly includes non school related activities and, realistically, can be anything your child does (how would anyone know?). That said, the marketing around the cards is bad, because it genuinely isn’t clear when you can use them and I understand where OP’s question is coming from.

[Anonymous]

I genuinely think that the city doesn't mind if Kids Ride Free on the transit system. This is from the website:

"The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus or Metrorail while traveling within the District."

Mayor Bowser started this because she wanted to take away this obstacle to getting to school. The city has an attendance problem and this is one way to help, and they clearly state that kids can ride transit to school for free.

For many kids, particularly middle and high school kids, this is 10x per week.

Because of the way the cards are designed, they also use it whenever they want to. I'm sure the city understands that this means that kids can use it all week long and on the weekends and they can eat that cost, but that it's worth it to help kids get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the Mayor put out a PSA early this year about how every student in DC should get their KEF card and then not have to even think about jumping the turnstile? Like, please just use your card. We want kids on the metro.

My son uses his twice a day five days a week, and then also uses it whenever he takes other trips. Not something I feel guilty about.

You’re teaching your child to steal and are ok with that? Hope our children never meet!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely think that the city doesn't mind if Kids Ride Free on the transit system. This is from the website:

"The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus or Metrorail while traveling within the District."

Mayor Bowser started this because she wanted to take away this obstacle to getting to school. The city has an attendance problem and this is one way to help, and they clearly state that kids can ride transit to school for free.

For many kids, particularly middle and high school kids, this is 10x per week.

Because of the way the cards are designed, they also use it whenever they want to. I'm sure the city understands that this means that kids can use it all week long and on the weekends and they can eat that cost, but that it's worth it to help kids get to school.

Agreed. The impetus for creating them may have been to help kids get to and from school (especially in a city with a lottery system that enables kids to get into schools across town -- lack of transportation then becomes an equity issue because families with more means have more options). But they made no effort to limit the program to school commutes or educational trips. There are other ways they could have done it that would have limited it in that way (limiting card use to weekdays during the school year, issuing paper cards with only enough for school commutes, etc.). They chose not to.

Someone upthread said they were for kids to use on field trips but when I've chaperoned school field trips on the metro, they generally let the group through separately, not through the turnstiles. It's practically inconvenient for especially younger kids to have to scan a card because kids lose them and are easily distracted during field trips. Perhaps older kids use them on field trips but at least in elementary it's not necessary -- the teacher can show ID to a station agent so they know it's a DCPS group, and they'll just let your through. Adult chaperones scan their own metro cards, separately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely think that the city doesn't mind if Kids Ride Free on the transit system. This is from the website:

"The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus or Metrorail while traveling within the District."

Mayor Bowser started this because she wanted to take away this obstacle to getting to school. The city has an attendance problem and this is one way to help, and they clearly state that kids can ride transit to school for free.

For many kids, particularly middle and high school kids, this is 10x per week.

Because of the way the cards are designed, they also use it whenever they want to. I'm sure the city understands that this means that kids can use it all week long and on the weekends and they can eat that cost, but that it's worth it to help kids get to school.

Agreed. The impetus for creating them may have been to help kids get to and from school (especially in a city with a lottery system that enables kids to get into schools across town -- lack of transportation then becomes an equity issue because families with more means have more options). But they made no effort to limit the program to school commutes or educational trips. There are other ways they could have done it that would have limited it in that way (limiting card use to weekdays during the school year, issuing paper cards with only enough for school commutes, etc.). They chose not to.

Someone upthread said they were for kids to use on field trips but when I've chaperoned school field trips on the metro, they generally let the group through separately, not through the turnstiles. It's practically inconvenient for especially younger kids to have to scan a card because kids lose them and are easily distracted during field trips. Perhaps older kids use them on field trips but at least in elementary it's not necessary -- the teacher can show ID to a station agent so they know it's a DCPS group, and they'll just let your through. Adult chaperones scan their own metro cards, separately.

Our ES definitely uses them for field trips and asks us to have the children bring their personal KRF cards if they have them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely think that the city doesn't mind if Kids Ride Free on the transit system. This is from the website:

"The Kids Ride Free (KRF) program allows students to ride for free on Metrobus or Metrorail while traveling within the District."

Mayor Bowser started this because she wanted to take away this obstacle to getting to school. The city has an attendance problem and this is one way to help, and they clearly state that kids can ride transit to school for free.

For many kids, particularly middle and high school kids, this is 10x per week.

Because of the way the cards are designed, they also use it whenever they want to. I'm sure the city understands that this means that kids can use it all week long and on the weekends and they can eat that cost, but that it's worth it to help kids get to school.

Agreed. The impetus for creating them may have been to help kids get to and from school (especially in a city with a lottery system that enables kids to get into schools across town -- lack of transportation then becomes an equity issue because families with more means have more options). But they made no effort to limit the program to school commutes or educational trips. There are other ways they could have done it that would have limited it in that way (limiting card use to weekdays during the school year, issuing paper cards with only enough for school commutes, etc.). They chose not to.

Someone upthread said they were for kids to use on field trips but when I've chaperoned school field trips on the metro, they generally let the group through separately, not through the turnstiles. It's practically inconvenient for especially younger kids to have to scan a card because kids lose them and are easily distracted during field trips. Perhaps older kids use them on field trips but at least in elementary it's not necessary -- the teacher can show ID to a station agent so they know it's a DCPS group, and they'll just let your through. Adult chaperones scan their own metro cards, separately.

I've seen them used both ways. I have one kid at a school (BASIS) where the majority of kids use transit to get to school, so the school has an extremely organized distribution system for the cards and they have someone from WMATA come and talk to them about how to use transit safely.

And I have another kid at a DCPS elementary where most people walk to school, but the kids often use metro for field trips, and the school uses KRF cards for this purpose. In this case the default is for the school to hold onto all the cards, and if you need it for your daily commute, you have to ask specifically for it.

[Anonymous]

So one thing to understand: Every time time a KRF card is swiped, DCPS pays Metro for that ride. I don't know what the agreement is between DCPS and Metro, but this is not the same thing as Metro providing free rides.

Our kids do use KRF for nonschool rides, but 90 percent of the time they are actually swiping to go to/from school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So one thing to understand: Every time time a KRF card is swiped, DCPS pays Metro for that ride. I don't know what the agreement is between DCPS and Metro, but this is not the same thing as Metro providing free rides.

Our kids do use KRF for nonschool rides, but 90 percent of the time they are actually swiping to go to/from school.

Actually, DC pays Metro a fixed amount per student per year. How frequently each student uses their card has no impact how much DC pays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So one thing to understand: Every time time a KRF card is swiped, DCPS pays Metro for that ride. I don't know what the agreement is between DCPS and Metro, but this is not the same thing as Metro providing free rides.

Our kids do use KRF for nonschool rides, but 90 percent of the time they are actually swiping to go to/from school.

Not DCPS, but the DC government. This is one of their "transit subsidies" that is paid for by the DC gov.

The KRF card is available even to homeschoolers, so I think it's a pretty broad program.

There are other transit subsidies, like for foster children and kids doing the summer youth employment program. Read about it here: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/23-16#%C2%A76044

As someone whose kid uses the metro to get to and from school every day, this card is saving us $1000 a year. Thanks Bowser!

[Anonymous]

its a fixed amount per card per year

[Anonymous]

How do you get the card? Just ask the front desk at school?

Also another question: We have one in DC public and one in a private school but the school is in Maryland. Can the child in private also get a card because we live in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Okay sounds like as long as it’s the kid using it (I’d never let an adult use it!) we’re fine for him to use it whenever, that’s the consensus. Aligns with what I’ve heard from others. Thanks all!

That’s not what the majority said though, they said it’s educational use ONLY! I hope they take it away from you for misuse.