RTA Bus Passes

Thanks to a continued partnership between HCPSS, Howard County Government, and Regional Transportation Agency (RTA), all HCPSS middle and high school students have access to free RTA bus passes through summer 2024. Students have full access to the RTA system and are not limited to transportation to and from schools or to school-related activities.  

If your child is interested, please use this link to request a free pass. Passes will be available for pick up in the front office. To obtain the free student bus pass, students must agree to: ​  

• Provide name/student ID, address, and grade to school staff​  
• Maintain possession of the pass ​  
• Not transfer or share the pass with others​ 
• Abide by Howard County Public School System rules while on-board. 

Note: If the pass is lost or misplaced, only one replacement pass will be provided to the student.

The RTA system provides service along eight primary routes in Howard County that pulse in and out of the Downtown Columbia Transit Center at the Mall in Columbia (next to Barnes & Noble). Six middle schools (Elkridge Landing, Harper’s Choice, Lake Elkhorn, Oakland Mills, Patuxent Valley, Wilde Lake) and six high schools (Atholton, Hammond, Howard, Long Reach, Oakland Mills, Wilde Lake) are located along RTA routes.    

For more information on RTA and detailed schedule information, please call 1-800-270-9553 or visit Transit RTA.