Ride On’s Paper Youth Cruiser Passes to be Phased Out at End of Month

Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® Card Will Take the Place of Paper Passes

February 14, 2014

 Starting March 1, the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card will take the place of Ride On’s paper Youth Cruiser passes. The Youth Monthly Pass provides unlimited rides on Montgomery County’s Ride On bus system to those 18 years of age or younger for an entire month for only $11. The Youth Summer Pass provides unlimited rides all summer, from June 1 through August 31, for $18. Both passes provide a significant savings over regular fares. Additional value can be added to the Youth Cruiser card, the same as a regular SmarTrip® card, for use on Metrorail, Metrobus and other participating transit agencies.
The Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® Card must be purchased in person. Proof of age and County residence is required. Purchase cards for $2 at the:

*   TRiPS Commuter Store: 8413 Ramsey Avenue, Silver Spring (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 240-773-8747);
*   TRiPS Commuter Store: 17 Wisconsin Circle, Friendship Heights (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 240-773-8747); or
*   Montgomery County Division of Treasury: 255 Rockville Pike, L-15, Rockville, (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 240-777-8930).
Passes and stored value can be loaded onto Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® cards either online atwww.smartrip.com<http://www.smartrip.com/> or in person at:

*   The TRiPS Commuter Stores or Montgomery County Division of Treasury (see above);
*   Certain Giant Food stores in Montgomery County;
*   Certain CVS Pharmacy stores in Montgomery County; and

 *   Zodiac Stores in Gaithersburg and Wheaton.

A full list of participating retail outlets is available online<http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/dot/transit/mcropassmerchantlistforweb.pdf>.

Up to two months of Youth passes can be added to the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card at one time. The three-month summer rate for June, July and August can be combined on the card with the value for either May or September.
Ride On passengers with Youth passes who use the express Route 70 bus will be charged an additional $2.05 for each trip.
A Youth monthly pass purchased the first through the 15th of any month is active for the month in which it was purchased. If the Youth monthly pass is purchased the 16th through the end of the month, the pass will be valid beginning the first day of the following month.
Riders aged 18 and under can also continue to take advantage of Ride On’s Kids Ride Free program on weekdays from 2 to 7 p.m.

Information about the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card and passes is available online<http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DOT-Transit/Resources/Files/youthsmartripfaqeng.pdf>. Ride On information is available on the County’s website<http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-transit/index.html> or by calling 311, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 301-251-4850 TTY, or 240-777-0311 (from outside Montgomery County).

# # #Media Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6507