Communities Investing in Youth Transit
We are thrilled to see the free youth transit movement gaining traction across Canada! Many of the communities listed below were inspired by the original Kingston model, and in several cases Get on the Bus was pleased to provide support - from acting as a reference, to presenting the movement to municipalities, to coaching community members, and more.
Barrie, Ontario
The City of Barrie has launched a pilot program in collaboration with the Simcoe County District School Board to encourage high school students to use public transit instead of school buses. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, 82 students from Innisidale Secondary School will receive free transit passes. The program aims to reduce traffic, promote climate-friendly transportation and introduce students to public transit. The city and school board will review the program's impact and consider expanding it based on the results.
Belleville, Ontario
In the spring of 2023, Belleville announced a free transit initiative for high school students. This program includes an orientation for Grade 8 students to introduce them to using the pass. Fare free transit for youth aligns with the city’s Transportation Master Plan goal of developing a viable, affordable and accessible public transit system that addresses the needs of their citizens.
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington City Council approved free transit for youth on evenings and weekends, beginning Aug. 1, 2023. The Free Transit for Youth program follows the success of the Free Transit for Seniors pilot, which saw a 41% increase in ridership in under a year and was made permanent in 2022.
Grand Prairie, Alberta
Grand Prairie introduced a program on September 5th, 2023 to provide free transit to youth under 17 through the Youth SUPERPASS card. City Council approved this program in a bid to make transportation more accessible and affordable for families.
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax Transit’s initial Student Transit Pass Pilot Program provided students from four high schools and six junior high schools with free annual transit passes. The program aimed to offer convenient and accessible transportation for youth while educating them on becoming safe and respectful riders. The results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 were used to inform the expansion of the program for the 2024 – 2025 school year. This expansion was made possible in part due financial support from the province. Now, over 28,000 students in grades 7 to 12 across 59 schools in Halifax Regional Municipality are eligible for free transit passes. By providing these free passes, valid on Halifax Transit buses and ferries, the goal is to promote independence, financial savings and sustainability among students.
Kingston, Ontario
The Kingston Transit High School Bus Pass Program started as a pilot project in 2012. The Limestone District School Board and the City of Kingston directed money from their respective budgets to offer complimentary bus passes to students in Grade 9. Since 2012, the program has expanded and currently all Grade 9 through 12 students in the City can ride Kingston Transit for free during the academic year. Kingston Transit visits local high schools annually in September to issue passes to Grade 9 students and to conduct a transit training session showing students how to ride the bus, load bicycles to the front, navigate routes, and more. The program in Kingston was the first such initiative in Canada, possibly North America, and over time has proven to be a model of innovation and sustainability. Children 14 and under are able to travel with Kingston Transit free of charge and without passes.
Kitimat, British Columbia
In August 2023, Kitimat announced a permanent free public transit program for students 13 to 18 years old. This initiative aims to provide safe and reliable transportation for students while encouraging the use of public transit in the community.
Mont Tremblant, Quebec
On June 21, 2019, Mont-Tremblant initiated a program offering free local bus services to all users – the only municipality of its size to do so in the province. The initiative resulted in a 40% increase in ridership and was motivated by economic and social factors, as well as efforts to green the town’s transportation practices.
Oakville, Ontario
As of May 1, 2023, Oakville Transit allows youth 13 to 19 and seniors to ride transit for free on all Oakville Transit services. In the first month of the program, youth ridership increased by 85%.
Orangeville, Ontario
Orangeville initiated a fare-free two-year pilot program for all riders in January 2023. An update presented to the Orangeville Council in August of that year highlighted the program's progress and revealed a consistent increase in ridership since its launch, from 8,259 riders in June 2022 to 20,131 riders in June 2023.
Orillia, Ontario
As part of an approved 12-month pilot program, Orillia teens aged 13 to 19 will have access to the Orillia Transit system at no cost from March 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025. Teens are required to obtain and use the cOnnect pass reloadable transit card to access free transit.
Penticton, British Columbia
In 2024, Penticton became the first city in British Columbia to offer free transit to residents aged 24 and under. This initiative, part of a safety-based pilot project, aims to remove barriers for youth to access community services and activities. Funded by a federal grant from the Building Safer Communities program, the project also introduced “Umo”, a mobile app for transit payments. Youth aged 13-24 can register for free transit passes at several city locations; those under 12 also ride for free.
St. Albert, Alberta
In November 2020, St. Albert’s City Council unanimously voted to provide free transit for youth under 12 and students 13 to 18 after a successful pilot program that showed a significant increase in ridership.
Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
In November 2020, St. Albert’s City Council unanimously voted to provide free transit for youth under 12 and students 13 to 18 after a successful pilot program that showed a significant increase in ridership.
Toronto Transit Commission, Ontario
A pilot program to provide free transit for Grade 7-12 student field trips on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is in place for the 2024/25 school year. The pilot, developed with Toronto's public and separate school boards, allows free transit for students on Mondays and Fridays between 9am and 3pm on routes with sufficient capacity. The program aims to enhance students' transit familiarity and increase access to educational opportunities. It is intended to be cost-neutral for the TTC. Evaluation of the pilot's effectiveness will inform potential extension.
Victoria, British Columbia
In 2022, the Youth U-PASS program was launched to allow youth 13 to 18 to travel for free on the Victoria Regional Transit System. This program was the first of its kind in British Columbia and is hoped to encourage low-carbon, affordable transportation and lead to less traffic congestion in the city. In addition to the youth program, U-PASS gives all University of Victoria, Camosun College, and Royal Roads students unlimited access on Victoria Regional Transit routes throughout the semester.
Whistler, British Columbia
Since January 2020, Whistler has provided complimentary access to transit for students in Grades 8 through 12, along with a youth-oriented guide for How to Ride the Bus. The funding for this program comes from the parking fees collected from specific Day Lots.