This weekend, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) voted to endorse the notion of allowing children and youth to ride BC Transit for free throughout the province.
Specifically, the UBCM is calling on the BC government to allow all those in Grade 12 and under to have access to free transit by expanding on the existing ‘Get On Board’ program.
Currently, the Get On Board program only allows those 12-years-old and younger to ride transit for free.
Prior to the UBCM endorsing the resolution to move this forward, Saanich, Langford, Metchosin, the Sunshine Coast Regional District, Kelowna, Mission, Vernon and more all supported the resolution, or even submitted versions of it themselves.
Victoria Transit Riders Union’s (VTRU) members also supported the resolution by writing letters to municipal councils across BC and attending city council meetings in Saanich, Langford, and Oak Bay to argue in support of endorsing the resolution.
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“There has been a movement across the province of youth asking for fare-free transit for their peers and themselves. We are very proud to celebrate this move by the UBCM alongside them,” said Christina Clemente, chair of the Victoria Transit Riders Union.
Now, the next move for both the UBCM and the VTRU is to take this resolution to the BC government and pressure them to make it legislation and implement free transit for all youth across the province.
According to the VTRU, their ultimate hope is that this is a step towards universal fare-free transit for all across BC.
They say this would help reduce carbon emissions from personal vehicles while also enhancing safety and accessibility in the province.
“Families need this kind of relief from rising costs of living. As a social worker, I believe that allowing youth to use transit without the barrier of fares would help them access the things they need to thrive,“ said Liz Cronin, member of the Victoria Transit Riders Union.
There is also a second resolution in which the VTRU is calling on the Province to make transit free for seniors aged 65 and older.
This resolution was submitted by Saanich and Langford, and could help combat the social isolation and high living costs faced by BC seniors.
This resolution was not endorsed.
