Mayor Muriel Bowser says the Kids Ride Free program has hit a major milestone, with 450,000 SmarTrip cards for students distributed across Washington, D.C. as of March 30, 2026. City officials say the cards are meant to knock out a big cost barrier for families whose kids rely on Metrobus and Metrorail to get to school and after-school activities. The latest wave of cards is part of the administration’s push to reach families and schools ahead of the next academic year.
Bowser Blasts Out the Big Number on Facebook
In a March 30, 2026 post, Mayor Bowser announced that 450,000 Kids Ride Free cards have been handed out across the District. That figure comes directly from her public update on Facebook, which also includes photos from distribution events around the city. The post did not provide a detailed, card-by-card accounting of how that total was calculated.
How the Kids Ride Free Program Works
The Kids Ride Free subsidy covers District students ages 5 through 21 and lets them ride Metrobus and Metrorail at no cost for school-related travel, according to WMATA. The idea is straightforward: if getting to class or practice means hopping on transit, the fare should not be what keeps a student home.
The District Department of Transportation says new Kids Ride Free SmarTrip cards have been sent directly to D.C. public and public charter schools for distribution, and families are instructed to work through school ID administrators to pick up a card, per DDOT. Students 13 and older can move the physical Kids Ride Free SmarTrip card into Apple Wallet, and cards issued for the 2025–2026 school year are valid through September 30, 2026, according to WMATA.
Local Context and Lingering Questions
The 450,000 figure towers over the District’s roughly 100,000 schoolchildren, a number reported by The Washington Post. That gap suggests the mayor’s tally may reflect replacements, multiple school years of cards, or cards sent to partner programs, though the post itself does not spell that out. It also does not clarify whether the total counts unique students or every card that has been mailed or handed out.
Program pages from city agencies describe how Kids Ride Free cards are issued, but as of the date of Bowser’s post they did not include a separate public breakdown that matches the 450,000 figure.
How Families Can Get a Card
Families who still need a Kids Ride Free card or a replacement are instructed to contact their child’s school ID administrator, since schools are handling on-the-ground distribution, according to DDOT. Students 13 and older can transfer a physical Kids Ride Free SmarTrip card into Apple Wallet, and WMATA offers step-by-step instructions on its Student Programs page. For questions about eligibility or lost cards, DDOT lists contact information for the School Transit Subsidy Program office on its Kids Ride Free page.
Bowser has framed the card distribution as a win for families, and her Facebook announcement currently serves as the main public record for the 450,000 figure. This story will be updated if the District or WMATA later publishes a formal breakdown of that total or releases matching numbers on their program pages.
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