A Tucson City Council member has a plan to get teens to say, “I’m bored,” a little less often this summer.
Paul Cunningham is pushing a plan to create a discount pass allowing high-schoolers unlimited use of city buses and swimming pools from May 22 to Aug. 5 — that’s roughly Memorial Day weekend until the start of school.
“Growing up in Tucson, what do you do in the summer? You take the bus to get around and you go swimming and go to the movies,” Cunningham said. “I’d rather them doing these activities and not just be in front of the tube all day.” Cunningham is advocating a “walk before we run” pilot project that could be expanded once successful.
Tentatively called the SummerGo Youth Pass, it would be available to high school students with a valid student ID. TUSD alone has at least 13,400 high school students.
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The price of the pass and where people can buy it will be up for discussion at the city’s Transit Task Force meeting Monday.
Among other cities that offer a summer youth pass, a common price point is the cost of a full-fare pass for one month, said Suzanne Schafer, a task force member and transit advocate.
A regular 30-day bus pass in Tucson costs $42, and a youth summer swim pass costs $30.
The council plans to take up the issue during a study session Tuesday.
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@tucson.com or 573-4346. On Twitter: @BeckyPallack
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