Cheapest Way to Ride AC Transit (credit card, find a job, transfer)

[BennyB08]

My friends and I are broke 22 year olds and don't want to buy a $70 31-day pass from AC Transit. Is there anyway a 22 year-old who looks 17 can buy a youth pass? Anyone have experience with this?

[artemis78]

The youth passes are explicitly for the middle and high school students, so I doubt it'd fly. Not to mention that the fines are quite steep if they catch you. (But creative thinking!) There are university passes, however, if you're in school---they're pretty cheap. Alternatively, you can get a Translink card, which lets you load up value with a credit card and just use the fares as needed--that could help you get through a rough patch until you get settled. (If you ride the bus everyday, presumably it's to get to a job, so you should just factor that into cost of living.)

You can also VOTE in the election (and encourage others to do so) to support Measure VV, which is the solution AC Transit came up with when the community asked them to avoid raising fares after the state cut their funding. If it fails, they'll be forced to raise fares and cut service, which is bad news whether you take the bus or not, because it means people who now take the bus may be back on the road in their own cars---more congestion for all of us.

[Joe_Ryder]

The sad reality of mass transit in the Bay Area is that's it's so expensive that it's actually cheaper to drive a car. That's why our freeways look like parking lots and mass transit runs at well below capacity. There are only 3 kinds of people who use mass transit in this area: 1) kids too young to drive. 2) Die-hard environmentalists 3) People who can't drive due to disability or more commonly, a suspended license.

A used scooter would be your cheapest way to go unfortunately. The prices of transit in this area are insane and there's no sign they're going to drop any time soon.

[tennis368fan]

You could attend community college courses full time at the Peralta Community College District, which is 12 units per semester. As long as you maintain the 12-unit level, you will remain eligible for a $50 "EasyPass" to use for the rest of the semester.

Being that you are in financial hardship, you may even qualify for financial aid. Pick a major or vocation, take some classes, get a degree or transfer and you will be able to find a job so you won't have to worry about paying for transportation!

[jeevcy]

there's a back door. you can try your luck

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by jeevcy

there's a back door. you can try your luck

That works well on Muni, not so sure about AC.. the drivers are a bit tougher.