At the Connecting the Dots symposium in Ottawa, a former Kingston youth approached me and said, “You taught me how to ride the bus.” That full-circle moment captured the heart of my talk: youth transit programs build lifelong habits, equity, and community connection. From pilots in Kingston to international policy shifts, investing in youth mobility creates measurable change—and as Anna Zivarts reminded us, transit is ultimately about justice and inclusion.

On March 25, Dan Hendry presented an inspiring webinar for The Atlantic Canada Climate Network and the Canadian Environmental Network, showcasing the transformative power of youth-focused transit initiatives. Highlighting Kingston, Ontario’s success, Dan emphasized how free student transit dramatically increased ridership from 28,000 to nearly 600,000 annually. Over 20 Canadian communities now look to this model to boost sustainability, autonomy, and inclusivity.

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Program Director Dan Hendry recently had the pleasure of joining the Sustainably Geeky podcast to discuss his work on youth transit initiatives, including Get on the Bus.

In Edmonton, we brought youth voices to the forefront through two inspiring initiatives that combined art and advocacy. At M.E. LaZerte High School, over 45 students collaborated with Cree artist Jayda Delorme to create a powerful mural that reimagines transit as a force for community, equity, and reconciliation. Alongside this, our team led a youth transit feasibility study that challenged the limits of the fare-free debate and proposed actionable steps to expand access. Together, these projects show how youth creativity and research can drive real change in public systems.