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Boston middle and high school students can now get free MBTA passes all year round

“​​These passes will be invaluable for our students who utilize the T to get to and from school.”

By Dialynn Dwyer

September 9, 2022

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Boston students in middle and high school can now travel on the MBTA, for free, year round. 

The move is an expansion of the agency’s M7 Student Cards, or M7s, which allow middle and high school students unlimited travel on all subway lines, bus routes, and Commuter Rail Zones 1A, 1, and 2 from September through June. 

Now, for the next three school years, students in grades 7 through 12 who live in Boston can use the M7 passes throughout the calendar year. 

“Boston Public Schools is proud to partner with the MBTA,” new BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a statement. “The MBTA has been an important partner during the Orange Line shutdown and we have worked closely together to ensure all of our students and families have the necessary services. These passes will be invaluable for our students who utilize the T to get to and from school.”

According to the MBTA, M7s will be provided to about 32,000 students in 7th through 12th grade who live in Boston, including those who attend public, charter, pilot, and innovation schools. Passes will also be provided to private, parochial, out-of-district, METCO, and homeschooled students who live in Boston. 

The students can also use their M7 pass to get  50% off the standard one-way fare or monthly passes for Commuter Rail Zones 3-10, as well as ferry tickets printed on a CharlieTicket.

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement that the agency is excited about the expanded partnership with the City of Boston and BPS. 

“M7s are an excellent benefit that allow Boston-area students to travel during the school year and during the summer months to their classes, after-school activities, and more at no cost to the student or their family,” he said. “Thank you to Boston and BPS for collaborating with the T and expanding this vital student benefit to now include the summer months.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, a longtime advocate for making the T free, is among those cheering the change.