Teens on the go: Students ride free all over Reston

By Meg Marsh, Reston neighbor

Middle school students hop on the bus at North Point to go to Reston Town Center. Photo by TRL

A few years ago, our oldest daughter taught us how the Reston Internal Bus System (RIBS) works for students. As parents, we hadn’t realized how useful this transportation option could be. From our house, it’s just a two-minute walk to a Fairfax Connector (RIBS) bus stop. Before she could drive, our daughter routinely hopped on the bus with friends to get to Reston Town Center, South Lakes High School extracurriculars, and neighborhood meet-ups. Now, our eighth-grade daughter can take advantage of the same system.

Middle and high school students in Fairfax County can ride free on the Fairfax Connector bus system. We have found it to be a safe and practical way for our daughters to become comfortable with public transit. While students can ride multiple routes, the RIBS routes and stops are a convenient way to explore Reston and learn how local transit works.

To ride free, students can apply for a bus pass through the Fairfax County Public Schools website: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/Free-Student-Bus-Pass-Agreement-Plus-Metrobus-2025-26.pdf/

Once you have a pass, you can explore the five RIBS routes to map the closest stop to home or your destination: https://linkrtc.org/local-transportation-links/bus-schedules-with-maps/

Our older daughter uses an app called Transit, which covers the Fairfax Connector and RIBS as well as other U.S. cities. For students planning college or a career in a metro area, this is a great way to learn public transportation. Mistakes happen—getting on the wrong route is part of the learning experience—but it teaches teens how to navigate and get back on track.