The Metro System map showing all the agencies’ bus and rail lines. Click above for a pdf version that allows you to zoom in on different areas.

The Metro Rail and Transitway map. Click above to see larger.

When I was a wee lad, no one went back to school until Labor Day had passed. These days are a different story with some kids headed back to school beginning this week.

Metro serves many schools and colleges in Los Angeles County with its 177 bus lines and nearly 16,000 bus stop locations. Metro also has five rail lines — the Red/Purple Line subway, the Blue Line, Expo Line, Gold Line and Green Line — and runs both the Orange Line busway in the San Fernando Valley and the Silver Line bus that runs between El Monte Station, downtown Los Angeles and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena via the 10 and 110 freeways.

In other words, there are a lot of ways to get around the county for kids who both live close to school or who have their own hefty commutes. Here is some information on reduced fares, getting around the Metro system and safety:

•Maps and timetables for all Metro bus and rail lines can be found here. The basic system map and rail maps are above.

•There are two online trip planners that can help you plan a transit trip: the trip planner on Metro’s home page and Google Transit.

•If you have a smartphone, go to nextbus.com for real-time bus and train arrival information. The website easily allows you to see when the next bus or train is arriving at stops/stations near your current location.

•Safety tips for all riders can be found by clicking here, including tips on how to prevent theft of cell phones and electronic devices.

•All riders — including students — should have the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department number saved in their cell phones. The number is 1.888.950.SAFE (7233).

•Metro puts out a lot of information on social media, including service alerts. Click here to subscribe to Metro’s general Twitter feed and click here to follow Metro on Facebook. Metro also has a Twitter feed that includes only service alerts. And this Metro Twitter feed has alerts on elevators that are out of service.

•Here’s a nice post by one of my colleagues from last fall on the benefits of students using transit to travel to school.

FARES FOR STUDENTS K THROUGH 12

Now students can obtain a special TAP card and use it to ride at special reduced rates. These prices, which are not impacted by the Sept. 15 fare increases and changes:

30-Day Pass – $24

Single One-Way Fare – $1

The 30-Day Pass allow for unlimited rides. It’s the best deal for students who use Metro to go to school every day and for those who use Metro to travel around the area.

To apply for a Metro Student TAP Card (K-8 or 9-12), download an application: English| Spanish. Submit it along with all required documentation at one of Metro’s four Customer Centers (listed below). Students in grades 9-12 are required to have a valid photo ID or school ID to purchase the fares or ride with a Student TAP card.

Once you receive your new Student TAP card in the mail, you have three fare payment options:

• If you ride every day, load your card with a Student 30-Day Pass ($24) at selected schools or any Metro Pass Sales locations (there are about 400 in Los Angeles County). You’ll get unlimited rides for 30 consecutive days.
• If you ride occasionally, load your card with some cash; each time you board and tap, it will deduct a reduced one-way fare of $1 (bus or rail) from your card balance.
• If you prefer, just tap your unloaded card on the farebox when you board (bus only) and pay the reduced one-way cash fare of $1.

For more information about reduced fare programs, call the Metro Reduced Fare Office at 213.680.0054.

FARES FOR COLLEGE/VOCATIONAL STUDENTS

The College/Vocational Monthly Pass is $36 currently and will be $43 when Metro’s new fares begin on Sept. 15.

To qualify for a College/Vocational discount, you must complete the College/Vocational TAP application available at select schools and Metro Customer Centers. Submit the completed application at any Metro Customer Center or mail it to the Metro Reduced Fare Office, One Gateway Plaza, MS 99-PL-4, Los Angeles, CA, 90012-2952.

Upon receipt of your college/Vocational TAP card, you can load a reduced-rate pass every month at any Metro Customer Center or area pass vendors. Undergraduate and graduate students must provide proof of enrollment in an accredited school in Los Angeles County. Undergraduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units or 12 hours of in-classroom study per week for a minimum of 3 consecutive months. Graduate students must be enrolled in a minimum of 8 units of in-classroom study per week for a minimum of 3 consecutive months.

If you are enrolled in a summer program that meets for less than 3 months and/or 12 units, you can still qualify only if you met the eligibility requirements in the preceding spring term. Download an application: English | Spanish | Armenian | Cambodian Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Russian | Thai | Vietnamese

Qualified applicants may submit applications for a College/Vocational TAP card at any time during their current school term. Applications received after August 10 will receive a card that expires in March of the following year. Applications received after February 10 will receive a card that expires in October of the same year.

For questions call: Metro Reduced Fare Office 213.680.0054 Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

METRO CUSTOMER CENTERS

Union Station/Gateway Transit Center – East Portal
Gateway Plaza
Los Angeles
Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Photo booth Available
See Map

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Center
3650 w. Martin Luther King Blvd., Ste 189
Los Angeles
Tuesday – Saturday , 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Photo booth Available
See Map

East Los Angeles Center
4501 B Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles
Tuesday – Saturday , 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Photo booth Available
See Map

Wilshire/Vermont Center
3183 Wilshire Bl, Ste 174
Los Angeles
Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
(Now Open)
See Map