Fare free transit for youth—exploring transit use and behavior change
Data files
Aug 25, 2025 version files 492.51 KB
Abstract
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, young people have become a considerable share of public transit users. However, younger representatives of this age group still face many barriers to accessing transit infrastructure and benefiting from its service. This study examines a Youth Cruz Free program launched by the Santa Cruz METRO in March 2023, allowing kids and teenagers of school age to use the service for free. We were interested in understanding how the program has changed the travel behavior of teenagers, whether it encourages adolescents to use the service after they turn 18, and what factors influence their overall ridership of Santa Cruz METRO. To reach both current high school students and recent graduates, we have completed two rounds of surveys distributed among high schools in Santa Cruz County. The surveys asked about adolescents’ sociodemographiс status, the availability of different modes of transportation, school attendance, and other variables that might change patterns in their mobility and encourage/discourage transit adoption. After completing multiple statistical tests, we identified the significant factors impacting teenagers’ travel behavior. Hispanic/Latinx students were found to ride the METRO more frequently than White students. Students with a driver’s license and students with higher numbers of household vehicles are less likely to use public transportation. Surprisingly, variables such as gender, job frequency, and the walking distance from the bus stop expected to be significant, didn’t support our hypothesis.
This README Youth Cruz.txt file was generated on 2025-8-14 by Susan Pike
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Title of Dataset: Fare-free transit for youth - exploring transit use and behavior change
2. Author Information
A. Principal Investigator Contact Information
Name: Susan Pike
Institution: University of California, Davis
Email: scpike@ucdavis.edu
3. Date of data collection: 2024
4. Geographic location of data collection: Davis, California through online survey of high school students in Santa Cruz County, California
5. Funding sources that supported the collection of the data:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation through the University of California, Davis
and the United States Department of Transportation
SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION
1. Licenses/restrictions placed on the data: none
2. Links to publications that cite or use the data: none as of August 2025
3. Recommended citation for this dataset:
Pike, Susan (2025), Fare free transit for youth - exploring transit use and behavior change, Dryad, Dataset
DATA & FILE OVERVIEW
1. File List:
Codebook_-Fare_free_transit_for_youth-_exploring_transit_use_and_behavior_change.xlsx
Data_-Fare_free_transit_for_youth-_exploring_transit_use_and_behavior_change.csv
2. Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: the survey contained identifying information and location information for participants including bus routes used by participants. This has been removed to protect the identity of the respondents.
3. There are not multiple versions of this dataset.
METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION
1. Description of methods used for collection/generation of data:
This data was collected through an online survey of high school students the survey was administered using Qualtrics and the data was downloaded from the Qualtrics platform as a .csv file.
The full question text as it appeared in the survey is included in the Codebook.
2. Methods for processing the data:
The data was minimally processed prior to publishing.
String values have not been recoded into numeric values, except for in "check all that apply" survey responses, which were coded automatically, as follows: the response item that was checked is in the data as the text appeard in the survey. For example, if the question asked what types of services does your agency operate (check all that apply). For the variable agency.mode.bus, an entry of "Bus" indicates the agency operates bus, and an entry of "0" indicates they do not. This is true for all variables in the dataset that are derived from select all that apply type survey questions.
Where questions were skipped an NA is entered. NA is different from "0". NA means the question was skipped and is a true missing value. A "0" corresponds to a not checked response, or a "no" response. When a respondent checked one item from a list, the not checked items are coded as "0". If a respondent did not check any items on a list, they are recoded as NA (they skipped the entire question). Note that NA is also entered in appropriate skips - i.e. text entry fields where the respondent did not select "Other", and therefore was not asked to provide an entry.
Text entry responses are modified in the pubicly available data as some resondents entered identifying information in these fields.
3. There is no instrument- or software-specific information needed to interpret the data. The full question text as it appeared in the survey is included in the codebook.
4. Environmental/experimental conditions: Survey data were collected through an online platform. Participants could take the survey at any time and at any location they had access to an internet connection.
5. Quality-assurance procedures performed on the data: the data were reviewed for incomplete responses and for speeding - responses that were largely incomplete or compelted the survey too quickly were removed.
DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR: Youth Cruz Free - Santa Cruz Metro Fare Free Youth Transit
Sheet 1:
1. Number of variables: 127
2. Number of cases/rows: 392
3. Missing data codes: missing data is coded as NA. this includes appropriately skipped questions.
unchecked options from a list are coded as 0
4. Variable List:
Variables are listed as follows - the variable name, followed by a colon: a description of the variable and in parentheses the (possible values)
Progress: Progress - How much of survey is complete (numeric, 0 to 100)
Speeding: identified as too fast (numeri, 1 = speeding, 0 = otherwise )
Duration.minutes: computed minutes duration taking survey (numeric )
Duration.seconds: Duration (in seconds) (numeric)
Finished: Finished the survey (true or false - Qualtrics submitted )
ResponseId: anonymized Response ID (character string)
Q_RecaptchaScore: Assess legitimacy of response (numeric 0 to 1)
free.aware: aware of youth cruz free program (Yes, No, Unsure)
ride.ever: ever ridden SC Metro bus (Yes, No, Unsure)
ride.before: ride SC Metro before it was free (Yes, No, Unsure)
ride.during: ridden since free (Yes, No, Unsure)
age.first: age of first use of Metro bus (text response)
all.ty.car: frequency of car use (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.dropped: frequency of getting droped off (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.carpool: frequency of carpol (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.metro: frequency of metro use (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.schoolbus: frequency of school bus use (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.walk: frequency of walking (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.bike: frequency of biking (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.ridehail: frequency of ridehail use (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.other: frequency of another mode use (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
all.ty.other.text: text of another mode (text )
school.days.ty: days attend school (None; I studied from home, None; I am not currently enrolled in high school or college, One day, Two days,
Three days, Four days, Five days, More than five days )
to.school.ty.car: use of car for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
to.school.ty.dropped: dropped off for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
to.school.ty.carpool: carpool use for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
to.school.ty.metro: metro use for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
to.school.ty.schoolbus: schoolbus use for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
to.school.ty.walk: walk for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
to.school.ty.bike: bike for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
to.school.ty.ridehail: ridehail for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
to.school.ty.other: other mode for school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
to.school.ty.other.text: text of another mode for school (text response)
leave.school.ty.car: car to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.dropped: dropped off to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.carpool: carpool to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
leave.school.ty.metro: metro to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
leave.school.ty.schoolbus: schoolbus to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.walk: walk to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc.)
leave.school.ty.bike: bike to elave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.ridehail: ridehail to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.other: other mode to leave school (Not available, Available but I did not use it, Less than once a month, 1-3 times a month, etc. )
leave.school.ty.other.text: text of another mode to leave school (text response)
freq.sportatschool.ty: activity frequency - school sports (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.sport.notschool.ty: activity frequency - nonschool sports (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.extracurricular.ty: activity frequency - extracurricular (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.job.ty: activity frequency - job (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.volunteer.ty: activity frequency - volunteer (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.socialize.ty: activity frequency - socialize (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.shop.ty: activity freqeuncy - shopping (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.caretake.ty: activity frequency - caretaking or babysit (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.otheractivity.ty: activity frequency - other activity (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
mode.sportatschool.ty: mode for school sport (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.sport.notschool.ty: mode for nonschool sport (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.extracurricular.ty: mode for extracurricular (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.job.ty: mode for job (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.volunteer.ty: mode for volunteer (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.socialize.ty: mode for socialize (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.shop.ty: mode for shopping (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.caretake.ty: mode for caretaking (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other )
mode.otheractivity.ty: mode for other (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
season.busiest.ty: busiest season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, Not sure, It's about the same each season)
freq.sportatschool.ly: school sports last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.sport.notschool.ly: non school sports last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.extracurricular.ly: exracurricular last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.job.ly: job last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.volunteer.ly: volunteer last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.socialize.ly: socialize last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.shop.ly: shopping last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.caretake.ly: careteking last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
freq.otheractivity.ly: other activity last year (I did not do this, Once a month or less, 2 - 3 times a month, 1-2 times a week, etc.)
mode.sportatschool.ly: mode for school sport last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.sport.notschool.ly: mode for nonschool sport last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus,Other)
mode.extracurricular.ly: mode for extracurricular last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.job.ly: mode for job last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.volunteer.ly: mode for volunteer last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.socialize.ly: mode for socialize last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.shop.ly: mode for shopping last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.caretake.ly: mode for caretaking last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
mode.otheractivity.ly: last year (Car - drive alone, Car - dropped off by parent / guardian, Carpool - with friend(s) or sibling(s), Walk, Bike (this includes using a bikeshare service like BCycle), Taxi/ Uber/ Lyft/ other ride service, Santa Cruz Metro bus, School bus, Other)
bus.stop.walk: know how long to walk to bus stop (Time in Minutes, I have no idea)
bus.stop.walk.text: minutes to walk to bus stop (numeric - minutes in ranges: up to five minutes, six to ten minutes, eleven to fifteen minutes, more than fifteen minutes)
time.to.school: know how long to get to school (Time in Minutes, I have no idea)
time.to.school.text: how long to get to school (numeric - minutes, in ranges: up to five minutes, six to ten minutes, eleven to fifteen minutes, fifteen to thirty minutes, more than thirty minutes)
neighborhood.features: presence of neighborhood infrastructure etc; select all (Sidewalks, Shade from trees, Non-covered bus stops, etc.)
safe.to.walk: safe to walk in neighborhood (Very safe, Somewhat safe, Unsure, Somewhat Unsafe, Very Unsafe, Not applicable )
improvement.influence: bus improvements effect use (Yes - Very, Yes - Somewhat, Unsure / Not Applicable, No - not really, No - not at all)
free.more.often: agree ride bus more (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Unsure, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree)
free.different.locations: agree ride bus different locations (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Unsure, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree)
free.more.locations: agree ride bus to more locations (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Unsure, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree)
free.more.school: agree ride bus more to school (Strongly Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Unsure, Somewhat Agree, Strongly Agree)
ride.with: ride the bus with whom (Alone, At least one family member who rides for free, At least one family member who has to pay, etc.)
perception.ontime: rating bus on time (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.clean.onboard: rating bus clean (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.crowded: rating bus crowded (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.safety.onboard: rating bus safe onboard (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.safety.waiting: rating bus safe waiting (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.hoursofoperation: rating hours of service (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.information: rating information (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
perception.customerservice: rating customer service (Very Bad, Bad, Neutral / Unsure, Good, Very Good)
influence.program: incfluence of youth cruz free (Very, Somewhat, Unsure / Neutral, Not very, Not at all )
willing.ride: bus willingness change from youth cruz free (Yes - definitely, Yes - sort of, Unsure / Neutral , No - Not really,
No - Not at all)
show.to.ride: whether ID is shown to board (Yes, No)
bus.new.place: agree - will use bus in another place (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
pay.to.ride: agree - will pay for metro when have to (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
intimidated.passengers: agree - intimidated by metro passengers (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
need.experience: agree - bus use requires experiece and learning (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
bus.tourist: agree - will use bus as tourist (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
intimidated.learning: agree - learning bus is intimidating (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
strongly.agree.qualitycheck: must select strongly agree as a quality check (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
bus.comfortable.alone: agree - comfortable on bus on own (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
bus.withfriendsfamily: agree - like to ride bus with friends (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
bus.try.often: agree - use bus as much as possible (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
impossible.schedule: agree - schedule impossible for bus (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
important.free: agree - important that bus is free (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
parents.help.pay: agree - parents help pay (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
car.want: agree - want a car (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
convenience.vs.environment: agree - cost more important than environment (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
like.tech: agree - like new technology (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
like.publicspace: agree - like public activities (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
busy.schedule: agree - busier than wants to be (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
congestion.problem: agree - congestion issue in SC (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
schedule.friendsfamily: agree - friends important in schedule (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
liketodrive: agree - I like driving (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
feel.safe.inpublic: agree - feel safe in public (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
afterhighschool.certainty: agree - have plans for after graduation (Strongly disagree, Somewhat disagree,
Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Strongly agree)
gender: select any/all gender identity that applies (Nonbinary, Gender Fluid, Transgender, Cisgender,
Girl / Woman, Boy / Man, Other:, Prefer not to answer )
license: has driver license (Yes, No, Prefer not to answer )
employed: has a job (Yes, No, Prefer not to answer )
<p>Data processing involved identifying cases that were outside of the target age range, those that were incomplete beyond the first section, and those that advanced through the survey much faster than average (based on how far they got through the survey). Cases that were outside of the target ages, incomplete, or completed too quickly to have sufficiently read the questions were removed from the dataset. Identifying information was also removed from the data, including the name, IP address, latitude, and longitude of the response, and the name of the high school or college of the participant. We also removed the names of bus routes used by respondents. All location-based information was removed from the data.</p>
This data was collected through a survey of high-school students in Santa Cruz County, California. Survey recruitment was coordinated with the help of the school districts in Santa Cruz County and through SC METRO, as well as 2 community organizations in the area. The survey was administered online through the Qualtrics survey platform and downloaded in .csv format.