Pasadena City College students can activate a transit pass from their phones in about five minutes this fall, down from the roughly 30-minute in-person process the old system required.

The college launched the Metro GoPass Program for fall 2026, replacing the U-Pass that had been funded by COVID-19 relief dollars. The GoPass costs $7 per semester, added to tuition based on enrollment status, and covers unlimited rides on Metro buses and trains, Foothill Transit, Pasadena Transit and Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, the PCC Courier reported.

The switch came after federal relief money that financed the U-Pass ran out. Maria Alejandra Infante, PCC's vice president of student services, said on Sept. 2 that the administration sought a replacement so students could keep riding.

"We believe it is going to be a permanent solution… The idea is that it's going to be an implementation that will last for the rest of the coming years," Infante said.

Under the old U-Pass, students had to visit the Student Business Center and have the pass loaded onto their PCC ID card.

Losing that card meant paying a replacement fee.

The GoPass works through the TAP (Transit Access Pass) app: students log into Lancerpoint, grab an activation code and enter it on their phone. A physical TAP card is also available at the Pathways FYE Center on campus.

PCC student Tony Armieta said on Sept. 2 that he completed the process from his phone "in literally 5 minutes." Fellow student Liam Paredes said the old system was "a lot more confusing" and required showing up at a specific time.

PCC enrolls more than 30,000 students each semester, according to Pasadena Now. The college is a latecomer to GoPass. The Los Angeles Community College District joined the program in December 2021, shortly after Metro launched it as a pilot. Metro's board made GoPass permanent in April 2024, and more than 500,000 students countywide use it, with nearly 60 million boardings recorded since October 2021, according to Metro.

PCC Area 4 Trustee Tammy Silver described the program on Aug. 25, telling Local News Pasadena that students just need to "log in, grab the activation code, and they have free transportation for a semester."

The GoPass is valid through Sept. 30, 2027, including a three-month bridge period Metro added at no extra cost to participating districts.