At the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention, attendees voted to endorse a motion to expand fare-free transit to 13 year olds.
The provincial government recently made transit free for youth 12 and under, and Zeb King, a Central Saanich councillor put forward this motion to increase access to transit for youth in the province.
King, told CHEK News he believed this motion would help with affordability issues some families face.
“It would help with affordability,” King said in an interview with CHEK. “And if you care about the environment and climate issues and stuff, taking the bus is definitely much better than driving a single-occupancy vehicle. So certainly this is all part of that solution.”
I'm elated to report that the resolution for fare-free transit 13 & under was endorsed resoundingly & now goes to @UBCM. This is an opportunity for youth across the province to advocate for support. Way to go @kali_coop #yyj @bcpoli @LDupont4Poco @Harold_Steves @GregorCraigie https://t.co/KjMTjIiZ0x pic.twitter.com/Bgsb3kFE0C
— Zeb King (@ZebulonKing) April 2, 2022
King worked on the motion with Kali Cooper, a 14-year old advocate, who said she believed this motion would help out many of her peers.
“Over half of the people I know use transit, I use the bus every day to and from school,” Cooper said. “Most people struggle with financial situation situations. People I know live in Langford and go to Stelly’s for French Immersion and they have to take the bus to and from school, to and from extracurriculars and it would really help if this motion was passed.”
Now that the motion has been endorsed, it will go to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in September to be voted on by representatives from local governments around the province.
If endorsed at the provincial level, the resolution will then get passed to the provincial government to make a final decision on.
This story has been updated. An original version of the story is preserved below.
The B.C. government recently announced transit for people 12 and under would be free in the province, and a Central Saanich councillor is hoping to expand that to include 13-year-olds.
Coun. Zeb King has put forward a motion at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities convention to ask the province to expand its free transit program.
“It would help with affordability,” King said in an interview with CHEK. “And if you care about the environment and climate issues and stuff, taking the bus is definitely much better than driving a single-occupancy vehicle. So certainly this is all part of that solution.”
The motion identifies that currently, 12 year olds are the youngest cohort in middle school, which means some middle school youth qualify for free transit, whereas some of their peers do not.
“And whereas expanding eligibility to those aged 13 and under (grade 7) would reduce the current disparity between the ‘have fare-free’ and those who ‘have not’ within middle schools,” the motion reads.
King has been working with Kali Cooper, a 14-year old advocate who attends Stelly’s Secondary School, on this motion.
Cooper says she got involved because she saw this as a way to help alleviate some financial burdens on people who rely on transit.
“It would be helpful for people who struggle in financial situations,” she said. “It also benefits our climate, because the more people are using the buses and public transport, the less GHG emissions that we have going into our atmosphere, and that it just is another step towards a greener planet.”
Cooper said she has reached out to some of her classmates, who have said fare free transit would be beneficial to their lives.
“Over half of the people I know use transit, I use the bus every day to and from school,” Cooper said. “Most people struggle with financial situation situations. People I know live in Langford and go to Stelly’s for French Immersion and they have to take the bus to and from school, to and from extracurriculars and it would really help if this motion was passed.”
King says though this motion is starting by increasing fare free transit to 13 year olds, the goal is to expand that further in the future.
“My hope is that in the same way that when we go to a public library, or when we go to our hospital system, we’re not asked for $2.75 per book or per visit or something,” King said. “That would be that would be another barrier to use your public library. If you were nickel and dimed every time. Instead, it’s built into our tax system. So in the same way our public transportation can be done that way.”
The motion will be discussed at the AVICC meeting on Saturday. If passed, it will then go to the Union of B.C. Municipalities in September to be voted on.
Laura Brougham
