The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is ready for back to school with the new S-Pass. The MTA Student Transit Pass, or S-Pass, is a credit card sized plastic fare card that students can use on any MTA local bus, subway or light rail system.

“The S-Pass is the product of an MTA commitment to reinvent and improve the way people use Maryland’s transit system,” said MTA Administrator Ralign T. Wells. “The S-Pass is convenient for students and transforms how the agency accounts for student fares.”

Students at Frederick Douglas High School and Poly-Western High School participated in a pilot program of the S-Pass system earlier this year. Cards will be issued system-wide to all Baltimore City Public School students eligible for MTA transportation and the system and will go “live” when classes begin later this month.

There are about 36,000 Baltimore City public school students eligible for the S-Pass. The MTA is providing city schools with the S-Pass, lanyards and pouches, MTA-issued student identification and brochures explaining how the S-Pass works.

S-Passes come equipped with a magnetic strip that allows the passes to be hotlisted against further use if lost or stolen. Students will be allowed to use the S-Pass Monday through Friday. Each card has a serial number and will be assigned to individual students by the school system. Students are responsible for their S-Pass and are to provide school identification when requested by an MTA official.