At the 2025 Alberta Ecotrust Environmental Gathering, I had the privilege of joining a panel on youth leadership and sharing the impact of Get on the Bus. Our message was clear: giving kids access to transit unlocks freedom, improves mental health, and supports families. I spoke about our Edmonton needs assessment, a youth-created transit mural, and research showing how independent mobility reduces anxiety and depression. The response was overwhelming, people from all sectors were energized and ready to act. When you give a kid a bus pass, they don’t just get a ride, they get a future.

What began as a personal challenge sparked by family hardship evolved into Better Bus Youth, a student-led grassroots campaign that helped deliver real change. From the city’s first fare-free policy for kids under 13 to the recent unanimous approval of a high school transit pilot, the movement has grown thanks to a coalition of youth, community organizations, and municipal leaders. Now part of the national Get on the Bus initiative, Sophia’s story is a testament to what’s possible when young people organize for equity and opportunity.

At the Connecting the Dots symposium in Ottawa, a former Kingston youth approached me and said, “You taught me how to ride the bus.” That full-circle moment captured the heart of my talk: youth transit programs build lifelong habits, equity, and community connection. From pilots in Kingston to international policy shifts, investing in youth mobility creates measurable change—and as Anna Zivarts reminded us, transit is ultimately about justice and inclusion.

On March 25, Dan Hendry presented an inspiring webinar for The Atlantic Canada Climate Network and the Canadian Environmental Network, showcasing the transformative power of youth-focused transit initiatives. Highlighting Kingston, Ontario’s success, Dan emphasized how free student transit dramatically increased ridership from 28,000 to nearly 600,000 annually. Over 20 Canadian communities now look to this model to boost sustainability, autonomy, and inclusivity.

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Program Director Dan Hendry recently had the pleasure of joining the Sustainably Geeky podcast to discuss his work on youth transit initiatives, including Get on the Bus.

In Edmonton, we brought youth voices to the forefront through two inspiring initiatives that combined art and advocacy. At M.E. LaZerte High School, over 45 students collaborated with Cree artist Jayda Delorme to create a powerful mural that reimagines transit as a force for community, equity, and reconciliation. Alongside this, our team led a youth transit feasibility study that challenged the limits of the fare-free debate and proposed actionable steps to expand access. Together, these projects show how youth creativity and research can drive real change in public systems.

A recent report from Environmental Defence and Équiterre suggests Canada’s federal and provincial governments must use public transit as a tool for reducing nationwide carbon emissions. The report proposes using the Permanent Public Transit Fund to support the operational costs of transit systems across the country, rather than for capital costs. The report asserts that operational funding is the key to improved service and therefore improved ridership.

Get on the Bus is thrilled to welcome Sophia Young as our Edmonton Consultant. Sophia became a public transit advocate after facing transportation barriers in her youth. At the age of 15, she helped direct a successful fare-free transit campaign for youth thirteen and under in her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan.