Metrolink fare prices increased on Oct. 5 for the first time in 13 years due to rising operational costs, decreased ridership and a lack of federal funding, according to a press release. The change comes amid increased efforts at the 5Cs to make public transportation more accessible for students.
Standard one-way Metrolink fares rose by about 14% on average; the weekday SoCal Day Pass rose from $15 to $19 and the weekend and holiday pass rose from $10 to $12. Students receive a 50% discount from Metrolink, Southern California’s primary commuter rail system.
Isha Raheja PO ’27, Associated Students of Pomona College commissioner of facilities and environment, said transportation accessibility has been a focus of the 7C Transportation Working Group, a student group aiming to expand affordable student transportation and reduce student car dependency.
“We’ve known for a long time that Metrolink has financial and operational difficulties,” Raheja said.
As Metrolink fares increase, the working group has been pursuing other ways to reduce student transportation expenses.
Raheja – along with student sustainability officers and the student group Claremont Urbanists – is working to finalize a deal to enroll the colleges in the Universal College Student Transit Pass (U-Pass) to reduce student transportation costs.
The program would give students fare-free access to 10 public transportation agencies, including Los Angeles Metro but not Metrolink, which provides rail transit and buses in many urban areas of LA County.
Student governments and administrative offices from all seven Claremont Colleges have now pledged to cover the full $17,388 initial cost of a pilot program which would begin in January 2027. At each college, student governments provided 50% of the funds, and college administrations or their sustainability offices provided the other 50%.
“We want to make sure that students have access to all of the regional transit agencies,” Raheja said.
Public transportation alternatives to Metrolink include Foothill Transit, which operates bus networks across the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys for free through the Class Pass. Students, faculty and staff can pick up a pass at the Connection store operated by The Claremont Colleges Services in the Honnold Mudd Library lobby with a current college ID. If the U-Pass pilot program is finalized, Class Pass cards will grant users access to participating agencies such as LA Metro.
Foothill Transit spokesperson Felicia Friesema said students make up approximately 10% of the organization’s ridership during the academic year and that student ridership has grown over the past six years since Class Pass’ adoption in 2019.
“Public transportation is a huge access point for other opportunities,” Friesema said, pointing to internships, jobs and other off-campus activities.
Regardless of alternatives, Metrolink is the most efficient option for students in a time crunch to travel to LA, according to Friesema. With Foothill Transit, the trip involves traveling from the colleges to Pomona Transit Center, which can take 20-30 minutes, then another 45 minutes to an hour on the Silver Streak, depending on the destination.
“Pay a little more for faster service with fewer stops, or pay nothing with the Class Pass but spend a little more time going to more places,” Friesma said.
Brandon Delcid Rios CM ’30 encounters that tradeoff during his commute to an internship in Burbank three days a week. He said he relies on a combination of Foothill Transit and LA Metro to reach his workplace, with the commute taking three hours each way. He said delays on Foothill Transit and LA Metro sometimes force him to take an Uber, adding unexpected expenses to an already long commute.
Although the proposed U-Pass would not cover Metrolink or reduce his travel time, it could lower Delcid Rios’ transportation expenses by covering the LA Metro portion of his commute.
“I think the [LA] Metro U-Pass is huge,” Delcid Rios said. “That’s probably going to solve all the current frustrations that I have right now.”
Until the expanded LA Metro rail A-line reaches Claremont in 2031, Raheja said Metrolink remains one of the fastest ways for students to reach downtown LA.