Kids Ride Free

The Youth Cruiser card is a SmarTrip card that provides free rides, on all MCDOT buses and most Metrobuses within the County, to Montgomery County residents under 19 years old. Value can be added to the card for use on Metrorail, Metrobuses outside the County, and other transit systems in the metropolitan area.

Effective July 1, 2019, all Montgomery County youth ages 18 and under ride FREE all the time on Ride On buses, including Ride On extRa,  Ride On Flex and Flash.

  • Children under 5 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • All children ride at the discretion of their parents or guardians.
  • Students may be older than 18 if still in high school.
  • Cards are valid until high school graduation.
five teens holding Youth Cruiser SmarTrip cards

How to ride free on Ride On buses

for Montgomery County residents ages 5 to 18 (older if still in high school)

All student riders should use the Youth Cruiser card for free rides. School IDs can still be used temporarily. There will be an announcement 30 days prior to having the Youth Cruiser card being mandatory.

We encourage all students to obtain and use their Youth Cruiser cards.

See instructions for lost or stolen Youth Cruiser cards.

Metrobuses

See the list of Metro bus routes that are covered under the Kids Ride Free program.

Need more information?

For information about

  • Ride On bus service, call the MC311 Information Center by dialing 311 (from out-of-county: 240-777-0311).
  • SmarTrip® cards, including lost or stolen cards, see the SmarTrip® Q&A page or call 1-888-762-7874.

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