Jeff Sandstoe / Roundup
Metro Institutional Transit Access Passes (I-TAP) will be available for students to purchase at the Business Office.
The I-TAP will cost full-time students $5 for the card itself and $15 for a semester of unlimited travel on Metro bus, Rapid, and Rail systems.
However, it will not cover travel on Metrolink trains or on Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s DASH buses, which facilitate travel throughout Downtown L.A.
While part-time students are also able to purchase the I-TAP, the cost is significantly higher at $62 per month plus the $5 cost of the card.
The passes will not be valid during winter and summer sessions.
Pierce had previously advertised that the pass would be valid for a six-month period. However this was discontinued as a way to insure the low cost to students.
“The school buys all the cards [from us] and then distributes them,” said an I-TAP representative.
Although the card’s timeframe of validity has been cut down to keep the price low, some students still find the price too high.
“I wouldn’t buy it,” said Michael Hubbard, 22.
“The buses are always late and overcrowded. It just makes more sense to spend that money on gas since I have a car.”
“I had one a few semesters back , Metro was giving passes away to [full-time] students for free,” said Hubbard.
“For anybody that doesn’t have a car though, it would probably be worth it.”
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