‘Youth Ride Free’ bus program reports steep decline in young riders

RAPID CITY, S.D. — It hasn’t been an easy year for public transportation in Rapid City.

The city reports that transportation, among the kids who traveled using the ‘Youth Ride Free’ program specifically, is a fraction of what it was.

RapidRide says over 10,000 youth riders rode over a four month span during the pandemic, compared to February of last year before the pandemic, although not a big hit to the business in general.

“February 2020, the ridership was over 11,000 and that’s actually very good for that number, so to see that number drop and not even hit 11,000 in a four-month period, it’s a hit but like I said before, it doesn’t actually affect our full operation,” said Megan Gould, the Rapid Transit Division Manager.

Gould says that more children could start using the program later on, as schools could return to full in-school attendance.