Community Voices Encourage Continued Investment in Halifax Student Transit Pass Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National youth mobility initiative highlights affordability, independence, and long-term community benefits
Halifax, Nova Scotia — March 5, 2026
As discussions continue around provincial funding for Halifax’s Student Transit Pass program, national youth mobility initiative Get on the Bus is encouraging community members, educators, youth organizations, and families to share their experiences and support continued investment in youth transit.
The Halifax program currently provides more than 30,000 students in grades 7 to 12 with access to public transit across the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Since launching as a pilot and expanding in recent years, the program has helped thousands of young people travel to school, part-time jobs, extracurricular activities, and community spaces throughout the HRM.
When the Province of Nova Scotia expanded the program in 2024, it highlighted the broader benefits youth mobility brings to families and communities. At the time, Education Minister Becky Druhan said the initiative was designed to “make life more affordable for families,” while giving students the opportunity to become familiar with public transit and the independence to explore their communities.
These goals are reflected in the program’s results. Based on 8,100 survey responses from youth and parents, more than half of students say they use their transit pass to get to school, while three-quarters report using it for additional purposes such as jobs, sports, recreation, or visiting friends. The impact on youth independence is particularly notable, with 91 percent of high school respondents saying the pass helps them feel more independent and able to move around their communities.
“These numbers show that youth mobility is about much more than transportation,” said Dan Hendry, youth mobility advocate and co-founder of the national Get on the Bus initiative. “It connects young people to opportunity. When students can move around their city safely and affordably, they gain independence, access to services, and stronger connections to their communities.”
Evidence from other Canadian communities reinforces these findings. A cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis conducted in Kingston, Ontario, found that youth transit access can generate significant societal returns. The study estimated that youth transit programs in Kingston resulted in approximately 196,000 additional youth transit rides each year, while displacing roughly 72,000 car trips annually. The program also saved an estimated 10,000 hours of caregiver time, reduced about 16,000 school absences, and prevented roughly 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
When program benefits were evaluated collectively – including time savings, reduced transportation costs, improved school attendance, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions – the study estimated an annual societal value of approximately $2 million. Overall, the program produced a benefit-cost ratio of 3.6 to 1, meaning that every dollar invested generated more than three dollars in benefits to the community.
“These programs are often described as multi-solving investments,” Hendry said. “They support education outcomes, help families with affordability, reduce emissions, and strengthen local economies by helping young people access jobs and community
spaces.”
Halifax has spent six years building the relationships, logistics, and outreach needed to make youth transit successful. Transit agencies, schools, and community partners have worked together to develop communication strategies, transit training, and operational
systems that help young riders confidently navigate the city. Advocates say that work has helped Halifax become one of the most widely recognized youth transit programs in Canada.
“Programs like this take years to build,” Hendry said. “Halifax has done the work to normalize youth mobility and create a culture where young people feel comfortable using transit. That kind of investment pays dividends for decades.”
To help amplify community voices, Get on the Bus has launched a public engagement initiative encouraging residents to share their experiences and perspectives about youth mobility. The campaign includes tools to help residents write letters to decision-makers
as well as a youth civic engagement challenge designed to encourage young people to advocate for the Halifax Transit Pass program.
Community members can learn more and participate at: https://getonthebus.ca
“Halifax and the Province of Nova Scotia have built something that communities across Canada are watching closely,” Hendry said. “The voices of families, educators, and young people will be essential in showing why youth mobility programs matter and why
continued investment strengthens communities for the long term.”
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For more information, please reach out to: Dan Hendry, Program Director, Get on the Bus: dan@smallchangefund.ca
About Get on the Bus: Get on the Bus is a national initiative driven by Small Change Fund that supports communities across Canada working to expand youth access to public transportation. The initiative shares research, case studies, and advocacy tools that help communities build equitable and sustainable youth mobility programs. Learn more: https://getonthebus.ca
