Tempe’s annual tradition of issuing free youth transit passes is underway.

Current passes will expire a month earlier this year — on May 31 — because Valley Metro is updating its fare box technology. New passes will be valid starting June 1 and run through June 2025.

The passes are available for Tempe and Guadalupe residents between the ages of 6 and 18. They can be used for the light rail, streetcar and buses. 

A parent or guardian must register at the Tempe Transit Store downtown and bring the child’s birth certificate and proof of residency. Check out the requirements and other information here.

Students who attend Tempe, Marcos de Niza and McClintock high schools and live in Tempe or Guadalupe can pick up passes at schools without a parent or guardian being present. The school registrar will verify eligibility.

The youth transit pass program is funded by a half-cent sales tax that Tempe voters approved in 1996.