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No-cost City Bus Rides for Students

janesville city bus

The School District of Janesville (SDJ) and the Janesville Transit System (JTS) created a partnership program that allows all SDJ middle and high school students free access to the JTS bus system. SDJ students may ride any in-city JTS bus at any time for free by identifying themselves as a student in the School District of Janesville.

SDJ students can ride JTS to and from school, and use the bus system outside of school hours to travel to work, the library, or other local businesses. This partnership allows students to use all JTS bus routes, including the Beloit/Janesville Express (BJE) which, includes rides to Rock Vale Mobile Home Park and Blackhawk Technical College. Please note this partnership does not provide rides to Beloit; students riding fare-free must exit at or before Blackhawk Technical College.

Students must show their student ID as they board the bus to take advantage of this opportunity. While some middle and high school students might not have their 2024-25 student ID cards right away, they can still take advantage of the free-ride program by telling the bus driver which school they attend. SDJ expects to distribute 2024-2025 IDs by November 1, 2024. Upon receiving confirmation that IDs are distributed, JTS will require all students wishing to ride for free to present a valid 2024-2025 ID upon boarding the bus. Students may show their electronic App ID or a physical ID card with the correct academic year and school insignia.

This partnership is primarily designed for middle and high school students, although some elementary students might be eligible on a case-by-case basis. This program replaces the discounted semester bus pass and Youth Token Program that had been in place in prior years.To learn more about JTS bus routes, visit the JTS School Transportation webpage.   

If you have questions, please contact your child's school directly.

NEW THIS YEAR (2024-25):

Three (3) JTS bus routes have changed their departure times after school to allow students ample time to get to their bus without rushing, alleviating the need to leave their last class period early. This change means students on these routes will arrive home later than they have previously.

The routes and changes are as follows:

  • 25: Southwest Special After School -- This route will leave Parker HS at 3:45 pm and arrive at Franklin MS at 3:51 pm and at Edison MS at 3:58 pm. 
  • 26: Randall Avenue Special PM – Craig -- This route will leave Craig HS at 3:55 pm and arrive at the Transfer Center in time for the 4:15 pm connection. 
  • 27: West Court Special PM – Parker -- This route will leave Parker HS at 3:55 pm and arrive at the Transfer Center in time for the 4:15 pm connection. There will be no pick up at the Waveland/Mineral Pt bus stop at 3:55 pm; students should instead ride the 27: West Court Special PM – Parker route.

Please note:

  • There are no schedule changes for the morning routes.
  • JTS buses will not board students until just before leaving time; this means students will be present on school grounds longer after school.
  • These changes increase student travel time after school.