Students of Baltimore City Public Schools now can use their student pass to freely board most Maryland Transit Administration vehicles whenever they want, the agency announced in a news release.

Previously, so-called OneCards, which the state provides city students free of charge, were meant for school-day use only between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. Agency officials hope the change helps students participate in after-school programming, jobs and other opportunities.

It’s one of several changes to agency fare policies taking effect Sunday that also allow children ages 12 and under, regardless of what school they attend, to ride most MTA buses and trains for free. The fare changes do not apply to regional commuter-focused MTA systems like the MARC train.

“Increasing transit access benefits riders and is critical to the economic prosperity of our entire region,” Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold said in a news release. “These changes are another example of our efforts to support the next generation of transit riders.”

As many as 25,000 city students receive OneCards, though it’s unclear how many of them ride MTA vehicles daily. A previous Baltimore Banner analysis published in February found that city students often struggle to reliably get to school on-time using the state-run transit system.

Additional fare changes include:

• Expanding the amount of time tickets on the CharmPass app remain valid once activated from 90 minutes to two hours to provide more transfer time;
• Expanding a reduced fare program for students at higher education institutions to include private institutions;
• A new low income fare program for individuals who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.

The agency also is increasing efforts to enforce fare requirements on the Light Rail, which has long been seen in Baltimore as an easy place to get away with a free ride. Riders caught without a valid ticket on the Light Rail will have to pay an additional five dollar surcharge.

A standard, full-fare, one-way ticket on most MTA vehicles costs two dollars, and day passes are available for $4.60.

Farebox recovery, or the amount of the agency’s operating expenses that it can pay for with ticket sales, has fallen from about 20% before the pandemic to less than 10% in 2024, according to state and federal data.

It is typical that U.S. transit agencies need other revenue sources to cover operating expenses. Major transit networks like New York City’s (44% in 2023) typically recover more of their expenses at the farebox, but the MTA recovery rate is closer to other mid-sized cities like Minneapolis (11% in 2023).