In a council meeting this past Monday, May 27th, Oak Bay endorsed two Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) resolutions which ask the BC government to make transit free for all BC youth and seniors.
This is being done in an effort to encourage greener and healthier transportation habits among all British Columbians.
The Victoria Transit Riders Union (VTRU) says that the youth resolution is meant to expand upon the current Get On Board initiative which allows all youth who are 12-years-old or younger to access free transit.
Oak Bay agreed with the VTRU in that they want to allow all young people aged 18 and under the same free transit access.
Town council unanimously endorsed this endeavour.
The second resolution Oak Bay endorsed this past Monday calls on the Province to make transit free for seniors 65-years-old and older. This endorsement was also unanimously voted in by council.
“Encouraging young people to use public transportation early in life can lead to lifelong habits of sustainable transportation. Free transit for youth and seniors improves affordability, social inclusion and well-being,” said Councillor Carrie Smart, who brought the resolutions to the floor.
In the council meeting, five members of the VTRU were present to speak on the matters and answer questions for council.
“Multiple studies have concluded that fare-free transit programs can be an effective and efficient way to increase ridership on busses and to reduce the number of trips people take in their personal vehicles,” said Nathan Bird, member of the VTRU.
Another VTRU member, Alyssa Allen says that these endeavours can help mitigate social isolation and instead contribute to building stronger communities.
“Accessible public transit is an incredibly important part of achieving that,” said Allen
Other VTRU members spoke of how transit helps communities in other countries or throughout the pandemic when people had the ability to access free transportation.
“Really we’re talking about freedom of movement. When people have freedom of movement they can access healthcare, nutrition, loved ones, childcare, work, and safety during emergencies,” said Liz Cronin, another member of VTRU.
Next, the VTRU will take these two resolutions to the Union of BC Municipalities convention where they hope to find more communities to endorse the initiatives and put more pressure on the Province and BC Transit to implement them.
For now, seniors and youth over 12-years-old are still required to pay for transit.
