The Greater Victoria Teachers' Association has thrown its support behind a campaign calling for free public transit for all B.C. teens.
The Victoria Transit Riders Union (VTRU) and Transit For Teens (T4T) are staging an Earth Day rally at the B.C. Legislature Building at 4 p.m. Tuesday, calling on the province to eliminate fares for teens and also protest the bus fare hike instituted in Victoria by BC Transit on April 1.
“Public transit is the safest, most environmentally sustainable way to travel, and all BC teens should have unrestricted access to it,” said VTRU chair Christina Clemente in a press release. “Eliminating fares for youth is an easy way to remove a significant accessibility barrier, and it will help build the next generation of transit riders by getting youth in the habit of taking the bus.”
Free public transit is already available to youth aged 18 and under in Victoria, but in most other municipalities – such as Esquimalt, Oak Bay, and Saanich – this is not the case.
The teachers' association (GVTA) said the need for free transit is especially urgent in light of the rising cost of living.
“Starting with free transit for teens across B.C. would be a huge step in the right direction,” said Carolyn Howe, GVTA president, in a release. “It would help students and families both save money and reduce the number of cars on the road. Less traffic is definitely something we can all get behind. This traffic reduction is good not only for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars but also for reducing the need to expand roads into fragile ecosystems."
Esquimalt High student and member of Transit for Teens, Tillie Stanger-Ross, said riding the bus around Victoria in her early teens changed the way she viewed her hometown.
"No longer was I a kid staring out the car window, I was now adventuring independently on buses, learning to love the place I live. Every teen should have this opportunity. Free transit will open so many doors for the youth of B.C.”
B.C. municipal governments recently requested that the province make transit free for all B.C. youth up to Grade 12 through the Union of BC Municipalities. VTRU and T4T are urging the provincial government to grant this request, or take it a step further and make transit free for all B.C. teens aged 18 and under.
“There is no reason we can’t fund transit in a stable and robust way, eliminating fares and providing a green way for everyone to move around and meet our needs,” said Liz Cronin, VTRU member. “At the very least, we’re demanding that the province start by eliminating fares for youth and seniors. This would improve the health outcomes and reduce emissions and congestion. It just makes sense.”
