Discounted and Free Programs

The discounted fare is 60 cents for Local bus, METRORail, METRORapid, or METRO curb2curb. For Park & Ride commuter express bus service, the discounted fare ranges from $1-4 depending on where you board. On this page, you’ll learn:

  • Who’s eligible for a discounted fare
  • Who’s eligible to ride for free
  • How to pay when boarding
  • Answers to common questions
Students boarding the METRORail Purple Line

Discounted Fares

If you fit one of the categories below, you may be eligible to receive a discounted fare card. It entitles you to ride for half price and get free transfers between services of equal or lesser value for up to three hours in any direction.

METRO Q Fare Card and METRO Day Pass

K-12 Students

Certain documents must be submitted by a student or their parent for our review before a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card or Day Pass can be issued.

What do you need?

You’ll need to provide one of the following:

  • Class schedule
  • Report card

You may also need to provide a completed application signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Where do you apply?

In-person

If accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, you can bring a class schedule or report card to any of these METRO RideStore locations:

  • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
  • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort
  • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
  • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road

If not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, a completed application signed by a parent or legal guardian will also be required.

Online

You can also obtain a discounted card through the METRO Online RideStore. To do this, you'll be required to upload an electronic copy of your class schedule or report card. That submission will serve as your application.

U.S. Mail

Mail a copy of your completed application along with a photocopy of your class schedule or report card. The return address is already included on the application.

What services are discounted?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb


The discounted fare is 60 cents for all those services except Park & Ride bus – which is half off the regular fare, depending on where you board.

 

METRO Q Fare Card and METRO Day Pass

College Students

If you attend a participating college, you can obtain a discounted fare card on your campus. If you attend a different college, you’ll need to submit certain documents for review.

I attend a different college:

You’ll need to provide a government-issued photo ID and proof of credit hours.

Learn More

What services are discounted?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb


The discounted fare is 60 cents for all those services except Park & Ride bus – which is half off the regular fare, depending on where you board.

 

METRO Q Fare Card and METRO Day Pass

Seniors 65-69

To receive a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card or Day Pass, METRO will first have to confirm your age.

What do you need?

You’ll need to provide both of the following:

  • Any government-issued ID with your date of birth (e.g., driver’s license, state ID)
  • Completed application
Where do you apply?

In-person

You can bring your ID and completed application to any of these METRO RideStore locations:

  • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
  • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort
  • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
  • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road

Online

You can also obtain a discounted card through the METRO Online RideStore. To do this, you'll be required to upload an electronic copy of your government-issued ID. That submission will serve as your application.

U.S. Mail

Mail a copy of your completed application along with a photocopy of your government-issued ID. The return address is already included on the application.

What services are discounted?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb

The discounted fare is 60 cents for all those services except Park & Ride bus – which is half off the regular fare, depending on where you board.

 

METRO Q Fare Card and METRO Day Pass

People with Disabilities

To receive a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card or Day Pass, METRO will first have to confirm your eligibility.

What do you need?

METROLift customers

This doesn’t apply to you. You should have automatically received a METRO Freedom Q® Card when you were approved to become a customer. That card entitles you to ride free on the services shown in this section.

Non-METROLift customers

Learn More.

Where do you apply?

You can bring your ID and proof of disability to any of these METRO RideStore locations:

  • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
  • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort
  • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
  • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road
What services are discounted?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb

The discounted fare is 60 cents for all those services except Park & Ride bus – which is half off the regular fare, depending on where you board.

Free Fares

Children five or younger ride free when accompanied by an adult. You may also be eligible to ride free if you fit one of the categories below.

METRO Q Fare Card

Seniors 70 Years or Older

To ride free with a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card, METRO will first have to confirm your age.

What do I need?

You’ll need to provide:

  • Any government-issued ID with your Date of Birth (e.g., Driver’s license, State ID)
  • Completed application
Where do I apply?

In-person

You can bring your ID and completed application to any of these METRO RideStore locations:

  • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
  • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort
  • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
  • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road

Online

You can also obtain a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card through the METRO Online RideStore. To do this, you'll be required to upload an electronic copy of your ID. That submission will serve as your application.

U.S. Mail

Mail a copy of your ID and completed application. The return address is already included on the application.

What can I ride for free?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb
METRO Veterans Pass

Qualified Veterans

To ride free with a METRO Veterans Pass, you must have earned a medal of valor or suffered a certain type of disability as a result of military service.

What do I need?

You’ll need to provide:

Where do I apply?

In-person

You can bring your ID and completed application to any of these METRO RideStore locations:

  • Downtown Transit Center - 1900 Main St.
  • Fannin South Transit Center - 1604 West Bellfort
  • Main Street Square - 1001 Travis St.
  • Northwest Transit Center - 7373 Old Katy Road

Online

You can also obtain a Veterans Pass through the METRO Online RideStore. To do this, you'll need to upload an electronic copy of your ID and completed application.

What can I ride for free?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb
METRO Q Fare Card

METROLift Customers

We call this the METRO Freedom Q® Card.

Do I need to apply for it?

No. METROLift paratransit customers automatically receive this card in their welcome packets. It entitles you to ride free on the services shown in this section. Learn more about how to become a METROLift customer.

Can an assistant ride with me?

Yes. Your METRO Freedom Q® Card entitles you and up to one assistant to ride free.

What can I ride for free?
  •  Local bus
  •  Park & Ride bus
  •  METRORail
  •  METRORapid
  •  METRO curb2curb
Official seal for District Courts of Harris County, Texas

Harris County Jurors

If you get called for jury duty in Harris County, METRO wants to make it as easy as possible for you to get downtown.

What do I need?

You’ll need to have a current Harris County jury summons of your own.

Show it to the bus operator when boarding:

  • METRO local bus
  • Park & Ride bus
  • METRO curb2curb

Show it to the fare inspector when boarding:

  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
How do I ride free?

You’ll receive a free one-way bus/rail trip on the date of the summons.

If you’re not selected for jury duty, you may ask for a jury pass to return home. This pass will be date-stamped and must be presented to the bus operator or fare inspector.

If you’re selected for jury duty, ask for a jury pass, stamped with a “valid through” date.

What routes can I take?

The routes that stop closest to Harris County Jury Plaza at 1201 Congress St.:

  • 6 Jensen / Greens
  • 11 Almeda / Lyons
  • 20 Canal / Memorial
  • 30 Clinton / Ella
  • 48 Market
  • 51 Hardy-Kelley
  • 52 Hardy-Ley
  • 137 Northshore Express
  • 151 Westpark Express
  • 236 Maxey
  • 244 Monroe / 248 El Dorado
  • 247 Fuqua / 246 Bay Area
  • 249 Bay Area / El Dorado / Fuqua / Monroe
  • 256 Eastex / 255 Kingwood
  • 257 Townsen
  • 259 Kingwood / Townsen / Eastex
  • 265 West Bellfort
  • 269 West Bellfort

What To Do When Boarding


If you're using:You need to:
METRO Q Fare Card
METRO Q® Fare Card
METRO Day Pass
METRO Day Pass
METRO Veterans Pass
METRO Veterans Pass

Tap card on fare validator, or hold your card near validator until light registers green. 

On buses and curb2curb:
It's located inside vehicle as you board.

On METRORail and METRORapid:
It's located on the platform where you board.

A dollar bill with a quarter sitting next to it
Cash

Place in fare box inside bus as you board (no change provided).

 

Common Questions

Students

Yes, for K-12 or college students, an application can be submitted for either of the following:

  • Discounted METRO Q® Fare Card
  • Discounted METRO Day Pass

As part of the application, certain documents must be submitted to METRO for review.

More details about the documents required and how to provide them can be found on the Discounted and Free Programs page.

A discounted fare of 60 cents applies to these METRO services:

  • Local bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

For METRO Park & Ride bus service, the discounted fare to board ranges from $1-4 depending on your location.

Yes. If you’re paying your fare with a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card or a discounted METRO Day Pass, the transfer policy below applies to the following services:

  • Local bus
  • Park & Ride bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

You receive free transfers between any METRO service of equal or lesser value for up to three hours in any direction.

For transfers to a service with a higher cost, you only pay the fare difference for up to three hours in any direction.

NOTE: If you use a discounted METRO Day Pass on Park & Ride bus service, the cost to ride doesn't get applied to the maximum daily card deduction of $1.50. Because of that, we don’t recommend using that pass on a Park & Ride bus.

Seniors 65 Years or Older

Yes. Seniors 65 years or older can apply for a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card. As part of the application, certain documents must be submitted to METRO for review.

More details about the documents required and how to provide them can be found on the Discounted and Free Programs page.

 If you're 65-69:

Your discounted METRO Q® Fare Card entitles you to board any of these transit services for 60 cents:

  • Local bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

For METRO Park & Ride bus service, the discounted fare to board ranges from $1-4 depending on your location.

If you're 70 years or older:

Your discounted METRO Q® Fare Card entitles you to ride any of those transit services for free.

Yes, but this only applies to seniors 65-69, because seniors 70 years or older already ride free. 

If you’re 65-69 and paying your fare with a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card, the transfer policy below applies to the following services:

  • Local bus
  • Park & Ride bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

You receive free transfers between any METRO service of equal or lesser value for up to three hours in any direction.

For transfers to a service with a higher cost, you only pay the fare difference for up to three hours in any direction.

Veterans

Yes. 

If you meet one of the following criteria, you can apply for a METRO Veterans Pass which entitles you to ride for free:

  1. A disabled veteran who has suffered, as a result of military service, at least 50 percent service-connected disability or 40 percent service-connected disability because of the amputation of a lower extremity.

  2. A veteran who has earned a medal of valor: Air Force Cross, Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross or Purple Heart.

If you’re a disabled veteran, but don't meet the disability criteria described above, you can apply for a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card which entitles you to ride for half price.

As part of your application, certain documents must be submitted to METRO for review.

More details about the documents required and how to provide them can be found on the Discounted and Free Programs page.

If you’re a disabled veteran, but you haven't suffered, as a result of military service, at least 50 percent service-connected disability or 40 percent service-connected disability because of the amputation of a lower extremity, then you're eligible for a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card. It entitles you to board any of these transit services for 60 cents:

  • Local bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

For METRO Park & Ride bus service, the discounted fare to board ranges from $1-4 depending on your location.

If you’re a disabled veteran paying your fare with a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card, the transfer policy below applies to the following services:

  • Local bus
  • Park & Ride
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

You receive free transfers between any METRO service of equal or lesser value for up to three hours in any direction.

For transfers to a service with a higher cost, you only pay the fare difference for up to three hours in any direction.

Other

Yes. People with disabilities who aren't current METROLift customers can apply for a discounted METRO Q® Fare Card. As part of the application, certain documents must be submitted to METRO for review.

More details about the documents required and how to provide them can be found on the Discounted and Free Programs page.

Yes. You’ll need to have a current jury summons to receive a free one-way bus/rail trip on the date of the summons. 

Show it to the bus operator when boarding a METRO local bus, Park & Ride bus or METRO curb2curb. 

Show it to the fare inspector upon request prior to boarding METRORail or METRORapid.

If you’re not selected for jury duty, you may ask for a jury pass to return home. This pass will be date-stamped and must be presented to the bus operator.

If you’re selected for jury duty, ask for a jury pass, stamped with a “valid through” date.

Yes. Children five or younger are entitled to ride the following services for free when accompanied by an adult:

  • Local bus
  • Park & Ride bus
  • METRORail
  • METRORapid
  • METRO curb2curb

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