L.A. Metro's GoPass broadens its partnership with WSS to grant thousands of students free, unrestricted bus and train journeys, totaling approximately 17,000.
In a commendable initiative, the Lynwood Unified School District has joined forces with L.A. Metro and retailer WSS to provide free, unlimited transit rides to nearly 17,000 students through the GoPass Program. This program, operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), aims to support the communities and people that need it most.
According to L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, public transportation is a critical element contributing to student success. Last school year, WSS sponsored GoPasses for approximately 11,000 students at Lynwood Unified, and the number is set to double for the 2025-26 school year.
The GoPass Program offers students greater opportunities to attend school consistently, participate in enrichment programs, and connect with resources across the region. Lynwood Unified students, for instance, took over 42,000 rides between July 2024 and May 2025 under the program.
Lynwood Unified School District Superintendent Patrick Gittisriboongul expressed his gratitude to WSS for supporting the GoPass Program. Whittier City Councilmember and L.A. Metro Board Chair Fernando Dutra also praised the initiative, stating, "Many students rely on public transit to get to school. Students who have access to public transit are more likely to graduate, and Metro GoPass ensures that students have the access they need to achieve."
The GoPass Program is available to students at over 1,600 K-12 schools and community colleges in 133 participating school districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District, Long Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles Community College District, and Long Beach Community College District. Participating schools distribute TAP cards and activation codes so students can ride transit to school, extracurricular activities, or work without paying fares.
An option for students is to use a virtual TAP card on the TAP LA App. Students can activate their cards on the online GoPass portal or by phone. As of 2021, more than half a million students have used GoPass to get around. In addition to L.A. Metro, students enrolled in GoPass have access to free, unlimited rides on trains and buses on 18 other participating municipal transit operators for the 2025-26 school year.
The GoPass Program team aims to expand the program until every student that needs a GoPass has one. The retailer WSS is expanding its sponsorship of the L.A. Metro's GoPass Program, contributing significantly to this goal. With the GoPass Program, students can focus on their education and opportunities, rather than the means to get there.
- Technology, education-and-self-development, and transportation are areas that the GoPass Program is helping students in the Lynwood Unified School District excel, as this program provides unlimited transit rides, allowing them to attend school consistently and participate in enrichment programs.
- In an effort to support students, finance has played a role in the GoPass Program as WSS sponsored GoPasses for approximately 11,000 students last school year and plans to sponsor to double this number for the 2025-26 school year.
- The GoPass Program is also impacting the industry of public transportation, as more than half a million students have used GoPass to get around, and with WSS expanding its sponsorship, the program team aims to expand the program until every student that needs a GoPass has one, making public transportation accessible to a larger number of students, helping them focus on their education and opportunities, rather than the means to get there.
