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Students, advocates urge Connecticut to subsidize bus fares for high schoolers
Summary
Students, city officials and transit advocates told the Transportation Committee that restoring targeted fare-free service for high school students (SB 1243) would improve attendance, safety and access to jobs. Witnesses cited pilot data and asked lawmakers to identify sustainable funding and automatic enrollment mechanisms.
The Transportation Committee heard hours of testimony on SB 1243 on Feb. 10, with students, school leaders, transit advocates and municipal officials urging lawmakers to extend free or deeply subsidized CT Transit passes to high school students.
Proponents said the measure would remove a routine barrier for low-income students. Josh Mitchum, a Hartford city councilor, said modest fares can be prohibitive, noting that a typical round-trip fare "that $3.50 round trip" adds up over a month…
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