Kids 12 and under will be able to ride GO Transit for free starting next month
Change comes into effect on Mar. 9, in time for March Break
Children aged 12 and under will be able to ride GO Transit for free starting next month, the province's transportation minister announced Thursday.
Minister Jeff Yurek made the announcement during a morning news conference at the Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto.
Kids will be able to ride free on trains and buses, Yurek said, and they won't need a Presto card. The change comes into effect on Mar. 9, just as March Break is scheduled to begin for the province's students.
"Letting kids travel on GO for free will make taking transit easier and more affordable for parents and kids," Yurek said in a news release.
Currently, kids under age five ride for free on GO, while children between the ages of six and 12 are granted a discounted fare. Children under 12 already ride for free on the TTC and the UP Express.
Yurek defended the move by saying it would boost revenue by more than $9 million, as more parents are encouraged to take GO Transit with their children.
"More parents, more families, travel and that offsets the revenue forgone from not charging kids to travel," Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said during Thursday's news conference.
The change was spurred by the apparent success of a pilot project that Metrolinx, which runs GO Transit, ran on the Barrie Line last year. Ridership increased by seven per cent on weekdays, and 17 per cent on weekends.
With files from The Canadian Press