Free Foothill Transit Class Pass Program Thriving With 500,000+ Rides
Second-year communication student Teo Fisher commutes from their home in Glendora to Cal Poly Pomona to attend classes, cocurriculars and work as a Bronco Scholars peer mentor. But instead of hopping in the car, Fisher takes Foothill Transit – for free, thanks to the Class Pass partnership.
“I started taking public transportation in high school, and I found out about the Class Pass when I was going into the BRIC campus gym,” Fisher said. “It’s so handy because I don’t have to pay to commute. Money is literally everything as a college student, and it’s nice for me and other students to have free and accessible public transportation.”
The Class Pass program is a partnership between Cal Poly Pomona and Foothill Transit, which operates bus lines in the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley, including a direct line with service to Downtown Los Angeles.
In Fall 2021, the program launched at CPP as a pilot, allowing enrolled students to ride for free. After strong ridership numbers quickly proved a growing demand for alternative transportation, the program became permanent.
CPP students like Fisher have taken full advantage. Since Class Pass launched on campus in 2021-22, students have taken over 586,000 rides and counting. In 2023, the university unveiled a new bus stop for the Silver Streak rapid bus line in front of the Student Services Building. In just two academic years, students have tallied over 216,000 rides on the Silver Streak line between Union Station and Montclair.
Starting Fall 2025, students can also use their ClassPass to take a dedicated bus – Line 295 – from the Metro A-Line San Dimas station to CPP or Mt. SAC. Buses will run every 20 minutes weekdays 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
All currently enrolled Cal Poly Pomona students can get a free Class Pass at the BRIC with their Bronco ID card or other valid form of ID. Visit the Class Pass website for the Silver Streak's schedule and map.