TTC – A Step Towards Free Transit for Middle School & High School Students
“A small intervention with enormous long-term, lasting consequences that are of our benefit,” said Councillor Saxe, Toronto City Council (Ward 11), and former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, during the September 26th Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Board Meeting regarding the Kingston Model for Youth Transit.
During the recent TTC board meeting, item #11 was a Notice of Motion - A Step Towards Free Transit for Middle and High School Students – by Commissioner Dianne Saxe, seconded by Commissioner Paul Ainslie (For Action). It’s incredibly motivating to hear those from larger metropolitan hubs like Toronto citing the Kingston Transit Model and my work with Kingston Transit when fighting for youth transit and equity.
TTC Bus (CBC).
Around 04:22:10, TCDSB Chair Nancy Crawford (Ward 12), and Student Trustee David Beshai took to the podium as part of a delegation to explain their desire for the motion to move forward for the free field trips using the TTC.
Crawford began by stating how “TCDSB continues to promote and support healthy and environmentally sustainable lifestyles for more than 190 school communities across the City of Toronto” and how investing in youth transit solutions would, “benefit the City for decades to come.”
Student Trustee David Besha noted how “students recognize the important role the TTC plays in their lives and economic prosperity” and continued noting how universities like Harvard and Waterloo have conducted studies showcasing how “access to public transportation is the biggest indicator of escaping poverty for students and their communities” when discussing why he is fighting for the field trip program to be implemented for his fellow secondary school students in the City.
Youth riding public transit (Canva).
Following their delegation, the meeting opened up for the Toronto Transit Commission Board to ask questions to TTC staff members.
Councillor Saxe, who is one of the members of the Commission spearheading the motion, started by noting how although the TTC is “not in the position to go to free transit for high school students right away” as much as she would like “although it is a step in the right direction.” Her questions to staff inquired about how the TTC already runs a large number of buses and routes daily that seek very minimal ridership during work hours and what the marginal costs would be for the TTC to fill those empty buses with students during their under-performing hours to provide more reliable and affordable transit options to school boards.
In response to staff’s concerns about an immediate loss in revenue, Saxe asked if they “have had an opportunity to look at the extraordinary success of the Kingston program?” She continued stating how it was successful in “increasing equity in the City, increasing transit ridership, reducing climate pollution” and how these students grew up to continue with transit ridership into adulthood as they had been exposed to simple and effective training to reduce rider anxiety and increase confidence in riding the bus independently, overall increasing Kingston Transit ridership over the years, and therefore generating untapped revenue for the City.
This sentiment was furthered supported by Councillor Matlow, who stated, “I fundamentally believe in free transit. I believe that it addresses equity goals, climate goals and contributes to the quality of life of people in our city. I hope that we can achieve the goal,” before pledging his vote to forward the motion.
Before casting their votes, (Chair) Councillor Jamaal Myers wrapped up the conversation by sharing his belief that “a TTC fare should never be the reason why one of our students doesn’t have that moment where they discover their passion” like he did when visiting parliament during his high school field trip that was subsidized, allowing his attendance.
The recorded vote was 6 to 3, carrying the motion, and a report will be returned to the Toronto Transit Commission Board in early 2024.
Overall, this is another prime example of the impact and inspiration that the Kingston Model for Youth Transit and the Get On the Bus movement holds for other communities, school boards, municipalities and youth nationwide. I am proud to see youth across the country standing up for their right to access truly accessible and equitable transit options, and I am ready to provide my expertise and support along with my team at Get On The Bus to any group interested in learning more about programming, resources, partnerships and more.