BATON ROUGE – The Capital Area Transit System announced Wednesday that passengers aged 17 or younger will be able to ride CATS for free in December.

To get the free bus rides, younger passengers will have to provide identification proving they meet the age requirement. CATS said bus drivers will accept valid driver’s licenses or valid high school IDs.

Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

The CATS Board of Commissioners said the pilot program hopes to encourage younger passengers to use public transportation in Baton Rouge.

“If we can demonstrate the value of public transit to people when they are young, we hope to convert them into lifelong customers,” CATS CEO Bob Mirabito said.