Registration is open for the 2026 CMT College Transit Challenge!
Students, faculty, staff and alumni from St. Louis Community College, Saint Louis University, Southwestern Illinois College, the University of Missouri–St. Louis and WashU can now sign up at www.CollegeTransitChallenge.com to compete for their school, earn bragging rights and help bring home the traveling College Transit Challenge championship cup.
The annual competition, hosted by Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), will take place Thursday, Nov. 5 through Saturday, Nov. 7. Participants are encouraged to put their Metro U-Passes to use and ride MetroLink and MetroBus wherever they need to go throughout the three-day Challenge.
Transit trips will be tracked throughout the competition, with participants earning points for their respective schools every time they ride. Additional opportunities to earn points will also be available, including registering for the Challenge, posting about the experience on social media, attending the Mascot Meetup Kickoff Event and completing Challenge activities.
“The Metro U-Pass program makes transit affordable for area students by providing unlimited rides on MetroBus and MetroLink and participating schools pay for all or part of the pass,” stated Kimberly Cella, CEO of Citizens for Modern Transit. “The challenge is a way for individuals to learn more about the local transit system and all the places they can get to via the bus and train – ultimately increasing U-Pass utilization and influencing student’s decisions later in life to choose transit when possible.”
All five participating colleges and universities are current Metro Transit U-Pass program participants.
While WashU took home the championship trophy in 2023 and 2024, Saint Louis University edged past them to become the victor in 2025.
Which school will reign in 2026?
Students, faculty, staff and alumni from participating schools can register now at CollegeTransitChallenge.com. Those who sign up will also receive Challenge updates and information about special events, freebies, prizes and other participant perks leading up to Nov. 5.
