Ntuk Championed the Pilot Program to Help Reduce Barriers to Higher Education

The Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees voted to create the “Strong Beach” Bus Pass Program for Long Beach City College students. The pilot program, set to begin this fall, will triple the amount of free bus passes offered by the college to 1,000. Partnering with Long Beach Transit, the “Strong Beach” bus pass program will not only encourage the use of mass transit but will also increase opportunities to access higher education. Additionally, Long Beach City College will prioritize these passes to students who demonstrate the greatest financial need, including College Promise students, veterans, students with disabilities, and foster youth.

With the creation of the “Strong Beach” bus pass program, Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk fulfills a promise made during his campaign for the Board of Trustees. Last August, Trustee Ntuk requested the Long Beach City College staff work with Long Beach Transit to develop this pilot program with a planned expansion in 2020.

"I pushed for the ‘Strong Beach’ Bus Pass program because when students have reliable transportation to campus, they’ll be put on a path to economic success," said LBCCD Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk. "With 1,000 bus passes for LBCC students, we’re helping reduce the cost and a real barrier to accessing higher education. I will continue to fight for programs like this that open the doors of equal opportunity for all residents in Long Beach to access our public community college campuses."

The “Strong Beach” pilot program will begin notifying students this summer and passes will become available for students starting in September 2019.