Communities Investing in Youth Transit

The City of Barrie has launched a pilot program in collaboration with the Simcoe County District School Board to encourage high school students to use public transit instead of school buses. Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, 82 students from Innisidale Secondary School will receive free transit passes. The program aims to reduce traffic, promote climate-friendly transportation and introduce students to public transit. The city and school board will review the program's impact and consider expanding it based on the results.

In the spring of 2023, Belleville announced a free transit initiative for high school students. This program includes an orientation for Grade 8 students to introduce them to using the pass. Fare free transit for youth aligns with the city’s Transportation Master Plan goal of developing a viable, affordable and accessible public transit system that addresses the needs of their citizens.

Burlington City Council approved free transit for youth on evenings and weekends, beginning Aug. 1, 2023. The Free Transit for Youth program follows the success of the Free Transit for Seniors pilot, which saw a 41% increase in ridership in under a year and was made permanent in 2022.

Burlington City Council approved free transit for youth on evenings and weekends, beginning Aug. 1, 2023. The Free Transit for Youth program follows the success of the Free Transit for Seniors pilot, which saw a 41% increase in ridership in under a year and was made permanent in 2022.

In 2019, Charlottetown piloted a free transit pass program for high school students that boosted independence and after-school participation, as well as reduced reliance on family rides. The program expanded for the 2019–20 school year to students at Colonel Gray and Charlottetown Rural, pairing free passes with transit orientation. These local efforts preceded PEI’s 2022 province-wide policy providing free transit for all youth under 18.

The City of Dieppe offers a free bus pass program for young residents, granting unlimited access to the region’s public transit network. For children under 12, the pass allows travel throughout Dieppe, Moncton, and Riverview; for those aged 12 - 18, free access is limited to trips within the city of Dieppe. This initiative is designed to make transit more affordable for families, encourage sustainable travel, and support youth mobility across the urban region. 

Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), in partnership with Ville de Gatineau, offers the Multi Jeunesse card to all high school students aged 12 to 17 who live or attend school in Gatineau. The pass gives these youth unlimited bus access at no cost during defined times for the 2025-26 school year. Starting September 2nd, the free access period covers after 5 p.m. on school days, and anytime on weekends, public holidays, and school breaks. Students’ cards remain valid throughout their secondary school years, and if they wish to travel at other times they may load money onto the card as an e-wallet or add a monthly subscription. By providing this targeted fare relief during peak student mobility periods, the program encourages transit use, supports student independence, and offers a sustainable travel option in the Gatineau region.

Grand Prairie introduced a program on September 5th, 2023 to provide free transit to youth under 17 through the Youth SUPERPASS card. City Council approved this program in a bid to make transportation more accessible and affordable for families.

The Kids Ride Free program was made permanent in 2023 after a highly successful pilot year. Subsequently, a Youth Ride Free pilot was launched in February 2025 offering free rides for ages 13–17 on weekdays after 5 pm, with expanded unrestricted access during July and August. Early reports and surveys show strong uptake, increased youth ridership, and general public approval. The pilot is set to continue through December 31, 2025 as the city evaluates its potential for permanent expansion.

Halifax Transit’s initial Student Transit Pass Pilot Program provided students from four high schools and six junior high schools with free annual transit passes. The program aimed to offer convenient and accessible transportation for youth while educating them on becoming safe and respectful riders. The results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 were used to inform the expansion of the program for the 2024 – 2025 school year. This expansion was made possible in part due financial support from the province. Now, over 28,000 students in grades 7 to 12 across 59 schools in Halifax Regional Municipality are eligible for free transit passes. By providing these free passes, valid on Halifax Transit buses and ferries, the goal is to promote independence, financial savings and sustainability among students.

The Kingston Transit High School Bus Pass Program started as a pilot project in 2012. The Limestone District School Board and the City of Kingston directed money from their respective budgets to offer complimentary bus passes to students in Grade 9. Since 2012, the program has expanded and currently all Grade 9 through 12 students in the City can ride Kingston Transit for free during the academic year. Kingston Transit visits local high schools annually in September to issue passes to Grade 9 students and to conduct a transit training session showing students how to ride the bus, load bicycles to the front, navigate routes, and more. The program in Kingston was the first such initiative in Canada, possibly North America, and over time has proven to be a model of innovation and sustainability. Children 14 and under are able to travel with Kingston Transit free of charge and without passes.

In August 2023, Kitimat announced a permanent free public transit program for students 13 to 18 years old. This initiative aims to provide safe and reliable transportation for students while encouraging the use of public transit in the community.

On June 21, 2019,  Mont-Tremblant initiated a program offering free local bus services to all users – the only municipality of its size to do so in the province. The initiative resulted in a 40% increase in ridership and was motivated by economic and social factors, as well as efforts to green the town’s transportation practices.

As of May 1, 2023, Oakville Transit allows youth 13 to 19 and seniors to ride transit for free on all Oakville Transit services. In the first month of the program, youth ridership increased by 85%.

Orangeville initiated a fare-free two-year pilot program for all riders in January 2023. An update presented to the Orangeville Council in August of that year highlighted the program's progress and revealed a consistent increase in ridership since its launch, from 8,259 riders in June 2022 to 20,131 riders in June 2023. Since the program’s launch, overall ridership has more than doubled, and the initiative has now been extended until July 21, 2027.

Launched as a 12-month pilot in 2024, Orillia’s free transit program for teens aged 13 to 19 has now been made permanent as of 2025. The initiative allows teens to ride Orillia Transit at no cost using a reloadable cOnnect transit card, helping young riders build independence and improving access to school, work, and community activities.

Prince Edward Island introduced fare-free transit for all youth under 18 in its 2022–23 provincial budget, alongside major fare reductions for other riders. The policy, aimed at improving affordability and encouraging sustainable transportation, has been renewed each year since and remains in place in the 2025–26 budget.

Peterborough Transit and the City of Peterborough are expanding their efforts to make public transit more accessible for young riders. The new fare-free transit program for youth and high school students will roll out in phases, beginning in spring 2026 for ages 13–14, with full implementation expected later that year. This new program builds on the success of the Transit Quest program, which offered Grade 8 students free transit passes and destination passports over the 2025 March Break. Children aged 12 and under already ride Peterborough Transit free year-round, reflecting the City’s broader commitment to fostering lifelong transit use and youth mobility.

 In 2024, Penticton became the first city in British Columbia to offer free transit to residents aged 24 and under. This initiative, part of a safety-based pilot project, aims to remove barriers for youth to access community services and activities. Funded by a federal grant from the Building Safer Communities program, the project also introduced “Umo”, a mobile app for transit payments. Youth aged 13-24 can register for free transit passes at several city locations; those under 12 also ride for free.

Starting September 2, 2025, Regina will launch a four month fare‑free transit pilot at Johnson Collegiate, offering free bus rides for all enrolled high school students along Route 9. This pilot is funded through an estimated $86,000 city-wide investment with student outcomes and ridership data to be evaluated by fall 2026.

In November 2020, St. Albert’s City Council unanimously voted to provide free transit for youth under 12 and students 13 to 18 after a successful pilot program that showed a significant increase in ridership.

After youth advocates brought a delegation to the Sunshine Coast Regional District in 2023, the Board commissioned a study on Free Transit for Youth and later approved funding through 2024 budget discussions. The S-Pass program launched in November 2024, providing free transit for students aged 13–18. A recent report to the Board highlighted the program’s success in shifting local transit culture and significantly boosting youth ridership.

Originally launched during the 2024–2025 school year, this pilot program provides free TTC travel for Grade 7–12 student field trips across Toronto. Developed in collaboration with the city’s public and separate school boards, the initiative helps students build confidence using public transit and expands access to educational experiences throughout the city. Following a successful first year, the program has been renewed for the 2025–2026 school year.

In 2022, the Youth U-PASS program was launched to allow youth 13 to 18 to travel for free on the Victoria Regional Transit System. This program was the first of its kind in British Columbia and is hoped to encourage low-carbon, affordable transportation and lead to less traffic congestion in the city. In addition to the youth program, U-PASS gives all University of Victoria, Camosun College, and Royal Roads students unlimited access on Victoria Regional Transit routes throughout the semester.

Since January 2020, Whistler has provided complimentary access to transit for students in Grades 8 through 12, along with a youth-oriented guide for How to Ride the Bus. The funding for this program comes from the parking fees collected from specific Day Lots.

In October 2024, the Government of Yukon launched a program in Whitehorse to provide free transit tickets and monthly passes to those struggling with affordability. Not-for-profits serving vulnerable communities, seniors and youth were invited to participate as ticket and pass distribution locations.