B.C. communities support expanding free transit for all youth

Locally elected leaders in B.C. are backing the call to expand free public transit to all youth across the province.

Since 2021, children up to the age of 12 have been able to use public transit for free through the province's Get on Board program. On Thursday, delegates to the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention in downtown Vancouver voted in favour of a motion urging the province to extend it to all youth up to the age of 18.

"It's far and away the biggest concern for our young people," said Gibsons Mayor Silas White.

Prior to this vote, the idea had already received support from several municipalities and school boards. For instance, the City of Victoria has alreadybeen running a free youth pass program for several years.

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For Earth Day, young activists are rallying outside Premier David Eby's constituency office in Vancouver. They are calling for the expansion of a free public transit program to include youth aged 18 and under. Ellie Goelman is a Grade 11 student at Vancouver Technical. Viveca Ellis is the executive director of the Centre for Family Equity.

"Transit is the safest way to travel no matter what municipality you live in, and all our youth deserve unrestricted access to it," Victoria Transit Riders Union member Nathan Bird said in a news release following the UBCM vote.

Advocates also say that free transit for youth would foster a lifelong habit of using sustainable transportation, reduce emissions and congestion in communities and help young people access more opportunities.

In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure didn't say whether it would consider such an expansion.

Instead, it touted the Get on Board program and added that it is collaborating with local communities to determine fares and services, including those that have already developed their own programs to allow all youth to ride transit for free.

"We will continue to monitor outcomes from the free transit for children aged 12 and under program and remain committed to providing high-quality, reliable and convenient transit options for people across the province," the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Premier David Ebysaid the B.C.NDPwill outline additional transit commitments inits electionplatform, though he did not specify them Thursday.

TransLink says it is facing a funding gap of around $600 million each year starting in 2026. It said the suggested expansion could cost it another $30 million in fare revenues annually.

Metro Vancouver's regional transportation authority also says that it would be more equitable for fares to be priced based on a person's ability to pay instead of age.

"If any further discounts are enacted by government, they should be cost-neutral to TransLink to avoid making our impending funding gap larger," the authority said in a statement to CBC News.

Another motion calling on the province to make transit free for seniors65 and older is also expected to be voted on during the UBCM convention.