Bay City News Service

A Muni bus carries passengers along Market Street

Twelve thousand free youth Muni Fast Passes will be available for low-income families with children for the months of April, May and June, reports Univision, and local community organizers are taking extra steps to ensure that Latinos are not left out.

The MTA Board approved the Youth Lifeline Program last week, at the urging of the MORE Public Transit Coalition and Supervisor David Campos.

Now community organizers are rushing to get the message out in time. Applications for the free passes are due Tuesday, March 15.

Donaji Loni of POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights) was at the 16th and Mission BART station Thursday outreaching out to the community and explaining how to apply for the free passes.

Community organizers like Loni announced the free pass opportunities on bullhorns, and passed out informational fliers in Spanish and English.

“It is very easy,” Loni said. “All you need to put is your annual income, what grade your child is in, what the name of your child’s teacher is, and your child's identification number."

Supervisor David Campos suggested that the free passes would help families hit hard by the recession.

“I believe that what we’re seeing is in this economy, families, especially families with children, have been dramatically affected, and it has been difficult for parents to pay for their children’s transportation passes,” he told Univision.

Last year, the price of the Youth Fast Pass doubled from $10 to $20 per month. A family obtaining free passes for three months for their children could use that $60 for other needed expenses.

Delia Sanchez, a mother who hoped to get passes for her kids, told Univision that she could use that money to buy food for her kids that would last for at least three or four days.