Purchase Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® at Libraries and Schools
Montgomery County’s Ride On bus system has made it easier for residents to purchase the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card for customers ages 18 years and younger. The card can now be obtained at all 21 County libraries and 20 of the County’s schools. Ride On is continuing to work with both public and private schools in the County to add additional school purchase locations. Check the County’s website for the current list of schools. Home-schooled students will also be eligible to purchase the card. The cost of the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card is $2.00.
Expanded Hours for Kids Ride Free
The County Council approved extending the hours for Kids Ride Free an additional hour, from 2 to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. The extended hours began July 1. Previously, the program ended at 7 p.m. Kids Ride Free provides free rides on Ride On buses (and most Metro buses within Montgomery County) to youth ages 5 through 18. Ride On will be transitioning by the end of this year to using Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® cards for identification instead of school identification cards.
Buying a Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® Card
Proof of age and County residence is required to obtain a Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card. Riders or their parents must purchase the card in person. The Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® Card is also available at the TRiPS Commuter stores at 8413 Ramsey Avenue, Silver Spring and 17 Wisconsin Circle, Friendship Heights; and the Montgomery County Division of Treasury, at 255 Rockville Pike, Suite L-15. Monthly passes and stored value can also be added to the card at some CVS and Giant stores in or near Montgomery County, and the Gaithersburg and Wheaton Zodiac Stores, as well as online.
Youth Cruiser Passes Can be Loaded onto SmarTrip® Card
All Ride On Youth Cruiser passes (monthly and summer) can be loaded onto the Youth Cruiser SmarTrip® card. The Youth Monthly pass provides kids unlimited rides on Ride On for only $11 a calendar month. This is a significant savings over regular fares. Stored value (cash) can also be loaded onto the cards for regular use- not pass use- on Metrorail, non-Montgomery Metrobuses, and other carriers.
Go online for Ride On schedules fares, and information about RideOnRealTime or like Ride On on Facebook.
