To celebrate the Southern California commuter rail system Metrolink and their 30th anniversary that occurred Oct. 26, the company introduced a sale on its monthly passes, where riders in the area as well as Chapman students are eligible to receive a 30% discount on their purchase of a monthly pass.

An email sent out by Chapman University Dean of Students Jerry Price on Oct. 31 stated that the company will be offering this discount on their monthly passes throughout the months of November and December and also provided details on what Chapman’s Rideshare program will be offering to Chapman students as well.

“In addition to this promotion, the university’s Rideshare program provides a $100 subsidy for any Metrolink monthly pass,” Price stated in the Oct. 31 email. “Any pass that is $100 or less will be fully covered by the program. All Chapman students qualify for student pricing.”

The Metrolink monthly pass offers riders unlimited, system-wide travel during one calendar month between their selected origin and destination stations. The pass also provides unlimited system-wide travel on weekends and is valid for riders to use on both Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains.

In an Oct. 26 statement released by Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle, he expressed his thanks to riders who have been using the trains over the past 30 years.

“We are grateful every day for our riders, yet today, as we mark Metrolink’s first rail trip 30 years ago, it’s especially important that we show our gratitude to customers for their continued support,” Kettle said. “The past couple of years have been challenging, and we want to show our sincere appreciation to those who stuck with us, while giving new riders more reason to hop on board and explore SoCal by train.” 

Customers and Chapman students are able to purchase the monthly pass with the 30% discount on the Metrolink mobile app, at various Metrolink ticket machines and at Metrolink ticket windows located at LA Union Station.

Senior creative writing major Rosie Carriker Smothers is a huge proponent of public transit and believes everyone should utilize buses and trains to reduce traffic and road rage, especially with the new discount and $100 subsidy. They currently use the Metrolink service four days a week (Monday through Thursday) to commute to and from Los Angeles for school.

“I take buses and trains and walk everywhere, and when I decided to come back to Chapman, I was so excited to get to take advantage of Metrolink and Amtrak almost every day,” Carriker Smothers told The Panther. “I had been paying $189 a month for the pass, which had been the original student discount, and that is a lot for a college student to have to pay. So, I do think having this new subsidy and discount in place will make it easier for more students to want to use SoCal train services.”

As Carrie Smothers hopes to graduate at the end of this year, they plan to take advantage of December’s discount.

In addition to the monthly pass, Chapman is also giving out a flat $100 subsidy that will be applied to the pass’ cost for all Chapman staff, faculty and students through the university’s Rideshare program. The $100 subsidy will be given out to everyone at Chapman, regardless of how far they may be traveling. 

In order to receive the subsidy and qualify for the Rideshare program, Chapman students, staff and faculty must fill out the Metrolink request form located on the Rideshare website. The deadline to submit the request form is on the 18th of every month. The passes will be available for pickup between the 25th of the current month and the 14th of the next month.

According to the Rideshare website, riders must submit a request form for every month that they wish to ride the Metrolink in order to qualify for a new monthly pass. This is due to the fact that monthly pass prices or destination stations are subject to change each month. 

In a poll conducted by The Panther, 29 out of 61 students stated that they currently use the Metrolink or plan to use it in the near future to travel around the Southern California area. Poll respondent and senior business administration major Eva Fielder expressed her excitement about the discounted monthly passes.

“While I haven’t taken the Metrolink in a while, I think that having these passes 30% off is amazing for students, especially for the holiday season since many people are trying to travel during this time,” Fielder said. “I wish the discount could last longer than December so I could make use of it in the new year.”

For more information on Metrolink’s 30% monthly pass discount or for other Rideshare incentive inquiries, contact Chapman’s Rideshare Team at their email, rideshare@chapman.edu, or visit the Rideshare Incentives webpage for further details.