Placer continues free rides for Sierra College students, extends GO South Placer app contract

Sierra College students can continue to ride Placer County transit for free for the next three years following a pilot program contract extension this week. On Tuesday, the Placer County Board of Supervisors authorized the county's director of public works to execute a reimbursement agreement with the Sierra Joint Community College District. The agreement ensures Placer County will receive reimbursement for providing fareless transit service to Sierra College students through June 30, 2028. "This is one of the many ways we're making it easier for our residents to participate in higher education, and I'm happy to see it continue for the foreseeable future," said Placer's Transit Manager, Jaime Wright. In August 2022, the county collaborated with Auburn Transit and Roseville Transit to establish a pilot program that provided free rides for Sierra College students. Sierra used its own funding to provide reimbursement of 50 percent of the average fare revenue for each ride associated with the pilot program. A total of 72,869 students from Sierra have used the pilot program since 2022. Recently, the Sierra student body voted to assess themselves an annual fee to support the program beyond the initial pilot period. The reimbursement will equal 100 percent of the average rider fare for the next three years. The agreement will not require Placer County Transit to provide additional service hours and will not impact the standard operation costs. County expands transit services The Board of Supervisors also approved a $63,320 extension with Spare Labs Inc. for microtransit service technology for Placer County Transit. This technology is similar to other ride-share services where customers use a smartphone app to request a ride that will provide curb-to-curb service within a particular zone. Placer partners with the cities of Auburn and Roseville with the co-branded app, GO South Placer. Since launching the app in early 2023, the county has received 163,021 ride requests with 32 percent coming from the GO South Placer app. A call-in option continues to be available for those who do not wish to use the app. This agreement amendment extends app usage through the 2026 fiscal year. Learn more about Placer County Transit at https://placercountytransit.com/.