Metro Unveils Free Field Trip Program
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Councilman Jose Huizar and Metro CEO Art Leahy met with 40 Eagle Rock Elementary School second-graders on Wednesday to initiate a new program offering free bus rides for school field trips.
Metro is now offering free rides to students from kindergarten to 12th grade during off peak hours to help reestablish field trips – an academic tradition that has been recently dwindling due to a lack of resources.
“We are pleased to support the efforts of our local schools through this field trip program," Metro Board Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe said. "It is essential that teachers continue to offer enriching experiences, even when money is tight. We think this program can help make this possible.”
Mayor Villaraigosa agreed. “Because Metro buses and trains have unused capacity during school hours, making free transit available to students is a win-win policy.”
The Metro program passed in December of 2010 but underwent testing for safety purposes before becoming official Wednesday.
According to the Metro Web site, only five field trips will be offered each day Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. Field trips must be booked three weeks in advance and an online curriculum must be completed beforehand. Students are only offered one field trip per school year.
In addition to Chinatown, transportation will be offered to 17 other locations, including California Science Center, City Hall, Civic Center, Central Library, the Performing Arts Center, Olvera Street, the Los Angeles Times, the Wells Fargo History Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.
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do you offer free field trip to girl scouts?