TVDSB to consider free transit passes for high school students

The region's largest school board is in talks with the London Transit Commission (LTC) to consider a program that would give high school students in London, Ont., free access to city buses by the start of the next school year.

The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) first unanimously agreed to a proposal in February that would benefit students and the transit commission amid a shortage of school bus drivers and declining LTC ridership, said Lori-Ann Pizzolato, the chair of the board.

"We want to get free city bus passes to students so they have the option of using the yellow school bus and municipal transit," said Pizzolato.

In Kingston, the Limestone District School Board implemented a similar plan over a decade ago and Pizzolato said she was impressed with the results within both the school system and the community.

"It creates equity, right? A lot of people don't have a car," she said. "Some of them don't have a mom and dad or caregivers or guardians to be able to drive them wherever they need to go — I just want them to be able to go wherever they want."

The implementation would be similar to how Western University students receive a bus pass as part of their tuition, though students wouldn't be footing the bill, said Pizzolato.

Having access to public transportation is also something she believes will increase attendance among students and help them increase their grades.

"If they have the option to get on a municipal bus after missing their school bus, then maybe they'll make it to their second or third class," said Pizzolato. "Increasing attendance at the school will hopefully increase graduation and credit accumulation."

She added a free bus pass would also allow students to get to their jobs, enjoy extracurricular activities and help them fulfil their mandatory 40 hours of community involvement activities. 

Over a decade's worth of success in other cities

In 2012, high schools in Kingston were given free bus passes and taught how to use city transit, said Dan Hendry, project director of "Get on the Bus" — a nationwide program that encourages school boards to provide free bus passes to high school students.

"It really comes down to providing youth access to free passes and providing the resources and training so they can learn how to integrate training or transit into their lives," Hendry said.

Similar programs are already running across the country, including Burlington, Belleville, Orangeville, Halifax, Grand Prairie, and Victoria, he said.

While the project has been ongoing for over a decade, students are still able to get on the yellow school bus if they want, something Pizzolato is also advocating.

"It's not replacing, it's about integrating and making these systems more efficient," Hendry said.

Not only was implementing the program beneficial to high school students, Hendry said Kingston's transit saw a nearly 140 per cent increase in ridership since January 2017.

Still in the works

The main consideration on whether this plan can go forward in London is how much it will cost.

"The administration is talking to the LTC and asking how much it costs, is there a bus route there, asking how feasible it is", said Pizzolato.

"We're just hoping we can relieve some pressure on the yellow school buses."

Whether high school students will get city bus passes won't be decided until the TVDSB Planning and Priorities Advisory Committee meets in February 2024 to go over their feasibility report.

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