This, without any room for doubt; is my (PMG) favorite topic of fiscal issues of transit ephemera. And, I think it is a lot of peoples' favorite as well.
Perhaps because it is the one we personally have used in regularity in our impressionable years. Perhaps because it is those years of education where we were taught to go at it alone, in terms of transportation; we weren't driven to school by our parents or another member of the family, or the "yellow bus". But most of all, it was issued to us. As individuals. We put our name on it and it was ours, unlike a token or bus transfer; where anyone could have one for asking and some change. We possessed it. And for some, it may have been one of, if not the first; items of monetary value issued to us.
I was one of the lucky ones, if you would consider my childhood "lucky". I was eligible for a free pass, and it was good on both rapid transit and surface lines. Some kids were not as "lucky" - as theirs were only good for either the bus or the subway and then only still at a reduced fare. Even if you have a combination pass, you still had to pay..
To this day, I somewhat incorrectly call the issue a "bus pass", even thought the passes I were issued were valid on both rapid transit as well as surface routes.
My first experience with a "bus pass" was in Junior High School. My elementary schools, PS 238 (Kindergarten through first half of Fifth Grade) less than half a mile north straight up East 8th Street from my home on Avenue S. Then PS 215 (second half of Fifth Grade through Sixth Grade) which was only 1700 feet west from my home. Both were within quick walking distance.
But as PS 215 only went up the Sixth Grade, meant I would have to go to a Junior High School. I was assigned to JHS 43 - James J. Reynolds (now IS 98 - "Bay Academy") in Sheepshead Bay; and there I attended the Seventh through Ninth Grades. I never called it JHS 43 - if someone asked where I went to school, it was "Reynolds". James J. Reynolds was located on Neptune Avenue and East 15th Street; and was two miles away from my home. This made me eligible for a transit pass, and family income qualified me for a free pass.
Reynolds in practicality, was a three block walk from my house. That is, walk the two blocks to the B68 bus stop on Coney Island Avenue. Ride the bus straight south to Neptune Avenue, cross diagonally, and catch the B4 - Neptune Avenue bus. Get off at Shore Boulevard, cross the street and into the front door of school. Three years later and with my completion of Ninth Grade, my grades enabled me to have my choice of "special" high school as an incoming sophomore: Edward R. Murrow, Brooklyn Technical High School, or Bronx High School of Science. It was put to me simply - either Brooklyn Tech or Bronx HS required my having to get up real early in the morning to make it in time for first class... Real... Early.. At 15, I wanted my beauty sleep - I was a night owl (and still am). Murrow it was to be.
Murrow was easily accessible from my home at Avenue S and East 8th Street by bus: the B68 - Coney Island Avenue route at Avenue S to the B9 route at Avenue M - but only if the B9 was waiting at the traffic light, (otherwise, it was a quick walk). Get off at East 15th Street, grab a buttered bagel or a bialy and a hot chocolate for myself and a coffee for my Graphic Arts teacher, Mr. Fox. A quick walk through the little alley that used to exist between the subway right of way and the commercial buildings from Avenue M to the Chestnut Avenue entrance of Murrow. It is this method of travel I remember most.
That is not to say my school passes were not used on the rapid transit lines either. During snowfalls, when the schools remained open but bus schedules were knocked into a cocked hat; the subways and elevated were almost certainly relied on to remain running - at least to a certain degree. On these occasions, I would walk to the Kings Highway Station of the BMT Brighton Line (then, the D local and Q express), grab the first D local and go one stop north to Avenue M, go back to the street and through that little alley. In my senior year, when I was coasting - either showing up late and / or cutting out of school; those school passes were a ticket to riding to Bay Ridge to hang out at Caesar's Bay Bazaar and at the Radio Shack there, or into Manhattan to Chinatown for Chinese food at Wong Kee at 117 Mott Street with a couple of my friends. Sorry NYCTA! (I think the statute of limitations has long since expired on prosecution of my unauthorized use of my school passes!)
But I paid my penance for my lack of adherence to the NYCTA rules. I had kept every single one of my school passes - from September 1981 going to Reynolds until June 1987 when I graduated Murrow. 6 years of monthly passes multiplied by 10 months a year = 60 passes. But unfortunately, as my lack of character assessment in those days will now show, a former (note - FORMER) friend, filched my collection of school passes. Without a doubt; of all the things lost, stolen, given away, or sold over my life; loss of those school passes rank in the top three of items I regret not having the most. Some people miss friends and acquaintances - I miss the physical items.
In
some sort of saving grace, my father; who was a special education
printing shop teacher at Eli Whitney Vocational High School; was
responsible for distributing the school passes for the special ed
department there. Long after he retired, and emptying out his attaché
case, he found about a dozen unissued free school passes in an
envelope: March / April 1986. He gave them to me, so at the least; I
have a pass of the exact type issued to me, and during the period when I went to
school.
And here I am still collecting the school passes 35 some
odd years later.
But enough of the memories - onto the issues.
School Passes
(repetitive use weekly, monthly or semester)
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December 1966 |
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December 1967 | January 1986 |
Jamaica Buses | |||
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Fall Term 1967 T8-5M-4-67-MAR | Spring Term 1968 T8-5M-4-67-MAR | ||
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Fall Term 1968 T8-5M-4-67-MAR | |||
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Spring Term 1969 T8-5M-4-67-MAR | Spring Term 1970 T8-5M-4-67-M.A.A. |
North Shore Bus (Queens) large size: 4 5/8" x 3" (reduced 25%) | ||||
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40 Trip | 40 Trip - Void After 4:30 PM overprint | |||
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40 Trip - Flushing High School overprint |
Avenue B & East Broadway Transit | |||
4" x 2 3/4" (reduced 25%) | |||
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December 1979 | |||
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January 1980 | February 1980 | ||
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March 1980 | April 1980 | ||
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June 1980 | September 1980 | ||
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October 1980 | December 1980 |
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3" x 2 1/8" |
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January 1979 | February 1979 |
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December 1979 | ||||
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February 1981 | March 1981 | |||
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April 1985 | April 1986 | |||
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May 1986 | June 1986 | |||
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February 1987 | April 1987 | |||
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May 1987 | June 1987 |
The following images, are of unissued books of passes. The staples have been removed, and thus we are able to see that these issues were bound in booklets with matching serial numbers for three or four months and specifically issued to the particular student.
Type 1 - Surface Transit Only | |||||
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February 1985 | . | March 1985 | |||
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.April 1985 |
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September 11, 1950 to June 29, 1951 100M-6-50 4 1/8" x 2 1/2" |
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This particular pass would be the last issue of school pass by the Board of Transportation, as the New York City Transit Authority was formed June 15, 1953, and the BoT would no longer be an entity. B. T. A. G. 373 4 5/8" x 3" |
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40 Trip - Bayside High School overprint BTT-Q6-5M-AUG'47 (PA) | 40 Trip - Andrew Jackson High School overprint BTT-Q7-8M-AUG'47 (PA) |
The system used by the NYCTA for their reduced fare and free passes was a bit convoluted to say the least. There were also seperate issues for Elementary, Elementary and High School, as well as High School only.
Free: issued bi–monthly
Reduced Fare; there were three types:
Type 1 = Surface
Type 2 = Rapid
Type 3 = Surface & Rapid
And of those three types listed above, they were issued monthly and further coded for either the first half (R1) of the semester or the last half (R2):
R1 = first half of school year (September, October, November, December, January)
R2 = second half of school year (February, March, April , May, June)
Half Fare:
R1 = first half of school year (September, October, November, December, January)
R2 = second half of school year (February, March, April , May, June)
Elementary or High School - Surface Only - Half Fare
small size - 4" x 2 11/16"
(reduced 25%)
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January 3, 1977 to June 23, 1977 Globe Ticket 200M-11/76 | February 1 to June 27, 1978 Globe Ticket 200M-11/78 | ||
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February 1980 to June 1980 Globe Ticket 210M-1/80 | |||
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Elementary or High School - Surface and Rapid Transit - Half Fare - "Type Z" 3 1/4" x 2 5/8" (reduced 25%) | |||
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May 1992 | |||
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March & April 1986 National Ticket 58-60 0668 Rev. 2/84 |
Type 1 - Surface Lines (Bus) only
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Full Semester Issues | ||||
3 15/16" x 2 5/8" | ||||
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September 9, 1957 to June 27, 1958 125M-4-57 | ||||
. 4" x 2 9/16" (reduced 25%) | ||||
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September 10, 1962 to June 28, 1963 140M-3-62 | ||||
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September 9, 1963 to June 30, 1964 170M-3-63 | ||||
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September 8, 1966 to June 30, 1967 185M-3-66 | ... | September 11, 1967 to June 28, 1968 185M-3-67 | ||
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September 8, 1968 to June 27, 1969 Form 25.1-185M-5-68 | ||||
. | Half Semester | |||
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September 6, 1977 to January 31, 1978 185M 6/77 | ||||
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September 6, 1978 to January 31, 1979 185M 7/78 | February 1 to June 27, 1979 Globe Ticket 185M-12/79 | |||
. 3 1/4" x 2 5/8" (reduced 25%) | ||||
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November 1987 | November 1988 |
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January 1995 | June 1995 | March 1996 | May 1996 |
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September 1996 |
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Full Semester | |||
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September 9, 1963 to June 30, 1964 180M-3-63 | |||
Half Semester | |||
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February 1, 1978 to June 29, 1978 | September 6, 1978 to January 31, 1979 | February 1 to June 27, 1979 | |
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September 1979 7/79 | October 1979 7/79 | ||
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November 1979 Globe Ticket 7/79 | February 1980 Globe Ticket 1/80 | ||
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March 1980 Globe Ticket 1/80 | April 1980 Globe Ticket 1/80 | ||
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May 1980 Globe Ticket 1/80 | June 1980 Globe Ticket 1/80 | ||
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September 1980 Globe Ticket 5/80 | October 1980 Globe Ticket 5/80 | ||
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November 1980 Globe Ticket 5/80 | Decemer 1980 Globe Ticket 5/80 | ||
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January 1981 Globe Ticket 5/80 | February 1981 175M-12/80 | ||
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March 1981 175M-12/80 | April 1981 175M-12/80 | ||
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March 1981 175M-12/80 | May 1981 175M-12/80 | ||
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intentionally left blank | |||
June 1981 175M-12/80 | |||
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October 1984 Globe Ticket 160M-4/84 | February 1985 160M-1/85 | ||
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April 1985 160M-1/85 | |||
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November 1985 160M-1/85 | April 1986 160M-1/86 | ||
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May 1986 160M-1/86 | June 1986 160M-1/86 | ||
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September 1986 160M-5/86 | October 1986 160M-5/86 | ||
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November 1986 160M-5/86 | December 1986 160M-5/86 | ||
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January 1987 160M-5/86 | June 1987 160M-11/86 |
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February 1985 160M-1/85 | March 1985 160M-1/85 | |||
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April 1985 160M-1/85 |
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October 1995 | November 1995 | March 1996 | June 1996 |
High School - Combined Rapid (Subway / Elevated) and Surface Transit Lines - "Type 3"
C2 fifth month (February)
sixth, seventh and eighth months (April, May, June):
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4" x 2" (reduced 25%) | |||
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September 17, 1950 to June 29, 1951 - Sample 45M-6-50 | |||
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July 1, 1957 to August 23, 1957 - Summer Session 7M-4-57 | September 19, 1957 to June 27, 1958 - Sample 45M-4-57 | ||
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3 11/16" x 2 7/16" (reduced 25%) | |||
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September 8, 1969 - June 30, 1970 85M-5-69 | |||
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September 1979 7/79 | October 1979 7/79 | ||
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November 1979 7/79 | |||
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October 1980 5/80 | November 1980 5/80 | ||
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December 1980 5/80 | January 1981 5/80 | ||
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February 1981 30M-12/80 | March 1991 30M-12/80 | ||
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April 1981 30M-12/80 | May 1981 30M-12/80 | ||
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September 1981 National Ticket 20M-6/81 | |||
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October 1981 National Ticket 30M-6-81 | November 1981 National Ticket | ||
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December 1981 National Ticket 20M-6/81 | January 1982 National Ticket 20M-6/81 | ||
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March 1982 National Ticket 20M-9/81 | April 1982 National Ticket 20M-9/81 | ||
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May 1982 National Ticket 20M-9/81 | June 1982 National Ticket 20M-9/81 | ||
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October 1982 National Ticket 20M-4/82? | January 1983 National Ticket 20M-4/82 | ||
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March 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-9/82 | April 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-9/82 | ||
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May 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-9/82 | |||
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November 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | December 1980 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | ||
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January 1984 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | April 1984 Globe Ticket 20M-11/83 | ||
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May 1984 Globe Ticket 20M-11/83 |
with selvage 4 1/8" x 2 1/2" (reduced 25%) | |||
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September 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | October 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | ||
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November 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 | December 1983 Globe Ticket 20M-5/83 |
Staten Island Rapid Transit SIRT School passes may be seen on the Staten Island Rapid Transit page Page 11: Staten Island Rapid Transit |
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content, graphics, and text in part or in whole, unless otherwise noted.