Students can ride free this summer on MCT buses

GRANITE CITY — Beginning Tuesday, May 29, Madison County students will have the opportunity to ride Madison County Transit buses for free, all summer long, with the 2018 MCT Summer Youth Pass.

Now in its 11th season, the Youth Pass provides free unlimited rides on MCT’s fixed-route bus system from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Passes are distributed through the schools, to Madison County students in the seventh through 12th grades and are available to those in Kindergarten through 6th grade upon request.

Since the program’s inception in 2008, the MCT Summer Youth Pass has accounted for nearly 550,000 boardings by Madison County students on MCT fixed-route buses. Students with a Summer Youth Pass can hop aboard MCT and travel to summer jobs, classes, pools, parks, recreation areas, shopping centers and hundreds of other destinations located throughout Madison County. MCT’s bus routes, stops and schedules are updated in Google Maps, allowing users to simply enter the start and end-point of their trip, click the “Get Directions” feature and then select the bus icon for a full trip itinerary. Students looking for a way to cool off this summer can ride MCT to the following:

• Granite City Pool at Wilson Park (served by the #4 Madison – Edwardsville)
• Highland Community Pool (served by the #14 Highland Shuttle)
• Edwardsville – Glen Carbon Community Pool (served by #17 Edwardsville – SIUE Shuttle)
• Splash City Waterpark in Collinsville (served by the #21 East Collinsville Shuttle)

MCT also owns and maintains more than 130 miles of scenic Madison County bikeways, known as the MCT Trails. With bike racks on all MCT buses and bus stops at MCT Trailheads, students can “Bike & Bus” for a seamless ride on both the MCT Trails and buses.

“The MCT Summer Youth Pass continues to be a great way to educate young people on the importance of public transportation,” said MCT Managing Director Jerry Kane, “It is our hope that when these students enter the work force that their positive experience with MCT will inspire them to remain lifelong transit users.”

To request a Summer Youth Pass, or for more information about MCT bus routes and schedules, students can e-mail YouthPass@mct.org, call (618) -797-INFO (4636), or visit the Madison County Transit page on Facebook.