SFSU students gain unlimited free rides on Bay Area public transportation
Gator Pass serves as a passport for students to travel within San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area
- By Matt Itelson
With just a tap of their student ID card, San Francisco State University students now have the keys for traveling throughout the Bay Area for free.
San Francisco State students now enjoy free unlimited rides on public transit throughout the Bay Area during the fall and spring semesters. All they have to do is tap their SF State One Card when boarding.
As of Aug. 26, the expanded Gator Pass covers 22 transit agencies spanning all nine Bay Area counties. Attention, all Gators from the East Bay: Yes, it includes free Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), AC Transit and even the San Francisco Bay Ferry. And to the South Bay Gators: Yes, you can ride CalTrain for free, as well as Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). Previously, the Gator Pass only included unlimited rides on San Francisco Muni and SamTrans, plus a discount on BART.
Even with all of the new benefits, the Gator Pass student fee is now cheaper: $130 per semester, which is $50 less than previously.
“Having majority commuter students, we see how beneficial it is already having the previous benefits,” Associated Students President Brandon Foley said. “We have a lot of students coming from all around the Bay Area and beyond, so we wanted to make sure that everyone is getting affordable transportation.”
Students enjoy significant savings from the Gator Pass, as an adult pass for unlimited rides on Muni costs $81 per month. According to data from SF State’s Office of Sustainability, commuting 10 miles to campus four times a week by car costs $250 – $325 per month.
Foley commutes to SF State from San Bruno, taking BART and Muni. He does not own a car.
“I always love exploring around San Francisco. I love West Portal and Embarcadero, just going and finding new spots to eat around there,” he said. “I really love public transportation and I’m a super big advocate for high-speed rail. I’d love to see that in California.”
The free rides are a result of student feedback and advocacy from SF State’s Associated Students, which surveyed students about expanding the Gator Pass in lieu of introducing a voter referendum. Associated Students was the original driving force behind establishing the Gator Pass, passing a transit pass resolution in 2015. The Gator Pass went into effect in fall 2017.
Visit the SFSU One-Card website to activate your Gator Pass and learn more.