Journey Pass: Free bus fare for low-income riders by WeGo

WeGo and mayor’s office representatives are outlining the free bus fare program for low-income riders funded by the 2024 transit referendum and set for implementation in the coming months. 

At a public meeting on Tuesday, Kendra Abkowitz, acting program director for the Choose How You Move initiative, said eligibility for the program will mostly be determined via partner agencies and organizations. That means that qualifying clients of the Metro Development and Housing Agency, Metro Social Services, Metro Action Commission and Office of Homeless Services, among other organizations, will receive the free bus passes. Outsourcing verification has the dual purpose of reducing administrative work for WeGo and reducing burdens to potential users who are already providing income information to other agencies, she said. 

The program has been dubbed Journey Pass, and the goal is to roll it out in a phased approach. Eventually, the income threshold could increase and more partner groups, including nongovernmental organizations, will be brought onboard. Planners are starting conservatively, they said Tuesday, in order to make sure there is enough funding to meet demand. The Journey Pass program is part of winter service changes set to officially roll out on Jan. 4, though WeGo officials said the “soft launch” of Journey Pass will occur in “late fall.”

“We want to gradually increase the potential eligibility of this program, but we also want to understand the financial resources available to us to pay for this program,” Abkowitz said. 

Mayor Freddie O’Connell brought the Choose How You Move proposal to voters in November 2024. Residents overwhelmingly supported the referendum, which directs a sales tax surcharge to transportation projects. The money started arriving in Metro accounts in April, and WeGo has already used it to increase bus frequency on certain routes. The transit agency has been working to expand its workforce to keep up with new offerings, and O’Connell in March detailed 11 projects first in the queue for Choose How You Move funding. 

Public comment about the Journey Pass program and other planned service changes set for January implementation is open through Oct. 10, and another public meeting, this one virtual, is set for Oct. 7. 

A chance to save

Sherrie Martin, a retired Metro Schools teacher, was one of a handful of residents who attended the Tuesday meeting. She said she heard about the free-fare program on the news and thought it might help her and her son, who uses the WeGo Access program to get to a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities. 

“He’s been riding Access for 10 years, and each year the fare is increasingly getting more and more expensive,” Martin told the Banner, estimating she spends $148 monthly on his twice-daily rides. “That’s 25 percent of his disability check. It’s a big chunk. So when I see ‘free,’ I’m like maybe they will have something available for people with special needs.”

A WeGo representative told Martin that they would look into bringing the day program provider, New Horizons, on as a partner organization for Journey Pass. 

Abkowitz and other representatives answered several other questions about the program: 

Yes, users will be able to access a Journey Pass on a physical card, not just a smart phone. They will be able to apply in person. Users must live in Davidson County, though bus and train trips that cross county lines will be included. Journey Pass will cover regular WeGo bus trips, WeGo Star commuter train trips, Regional Transportation Authority trips to nearby counties, WeGo Access rides for people with disabilities and WeGo Link rideshare trips in designated zones without transit access. Users without an existing relationship with one of the partner organizations will still be able to qualify directly through WeGo. Users will have to reverify their status every two or three years, but that process could be handled by the partner organization with limited input from the user.

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