New fare-free youth bus pass program to start in Regional District
This week, pop-ups can be found at Country Club Centre, Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo Ice Centre, Oliver Woods, and Oceanside Place. (Lauryn Mackenzie / CHLY 101.7FM)
Youth ages 12 to 18 in the Regional District of Nanaimo will be able to use BC Transit for free starting this school year.
To give youth in the region increased access to their communities, the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is implementing a new two-year fare-free youth transit program for youth 18 years of age or younger.
Currently youth throughout British Columbia 12 years old and younger can ride on BC Transit and TransLink at no cost through a provincially funded program.
Youth will have to register for the program to receive a physical or digital pass.
The RDN’s new program will start on September 6, but to beat the new school year rush, the RDN has started rolling out pop-up registration events for youth to sign up in advance.
CHLY spoke with Scott Myers, Manager of Transit Relations and Planning for the RDN, about the new program and the pop-ups.
Myers said youth eligible for the program can sign up for the pass at any of the pop-ups across the regional district or at Nanaimo’s BC Transit office on Hammond Bay Road. Myers explained what youth need to register.
“All we're asking for is when the individuals come in that they have some forms of identification that just identifies that they meet the age requirements, that's 13 to 18 years of age, and that they are a resident of the Regional District of Nanaimo,” Myers said. “That's all of the communities within the regional district. So that would be the City in Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, City of Parksville, the Town of Qualicum Beach or any of the electoral areas, including Gabriola Island.”
Youth can bring their smart phones to add their pass to their UMO app. They can also receive a physical pass.
“We found that the cards are easier for many people,” he said. “They find them easier to use on the buses as they board, but we're also recognizing that many youth have or are already using the app on their phone, and for many of them, it's just easier to to load it.”
In addition to giving youth free access to public transport, Myers said this new program will also allow the RDN to track transportation data of the youth in the program.
“The data collection that we're collecting is really important so that we're getting really good true data, so that we can make a really good argument for one case or the other,” he said. “So that the [RDN] board has a really good understanding of youth travel patterns and how this program will either economically affect the region; how it will make transportation more accessible; how it could ease the burden on some parents, all of those kinds of things that were very important to the board.”
Myers explained they will be tracking the amount the youth passes are used, and which routes are taken, but no further information about the riders will be tracked or shared.
He said the program will run for an initial two-year period, but eligible youth will need to reapply come next September.
“So it will expire after one year. However, we will have more information than before,” he said. “If we carry on the program the very same way, they'll just be able to come in and bring that same pass, and we'll be able to upgrade it for another year.”
For any youth that turn 19 during the year, Myers said the passes will still be effective until their expiry date.
“However, they could continue to use that card for anything else transit related after the program ends, or if they were to age out of the program” he said.
Youth will be able to apply for the passes anytime while the program is running, meaning students who may not need to use public transit during the school year can still sign up for the pass to use during the summer time.
“The expectation is this is just to open up opportunities for them to be able to have increased mobility, increased access to transportation,” he said. “So, if they grab the card and they don't use it a lot, that's okay, but when they find themselves with a summer job, that's great that we understand that travel.”
Meyers said this program will help open transportation accessibility for youth in the area, and will also help the RDN and BC Transit understand youth travel patterns to find ways to better plan and accommodate for everyone.
“We recognize that youth have different needs for public transportation. In some cases, it may come down to a monetary thing. In other cases, it may be more of a convenience thing,” he said. “We recognize that for others, it's very much about environmental stewardship. So everybody may have a different reason, but the goal is that they're receiving better access”
He said they hope youth will start to use transit and understand how beneficial it can be.
Myers said at the pop-up event, staff will be able to sign the youth up for the free passes along with answering any questions they may have about using public transportation. As well the staff can help youth figure out best routes for getting around.
The pop-up events are on now until September 6th. This week, pop-ups can be found at Country Club Centre, Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo Ice Centre, Oliver Woods, and Oceanside Place.
Dates and times of the events can be found on the RDN website.
As well, youth can sign up for the program at the Nanaimo BC Transit office located at 6300 Hammond Bay Road.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
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