Plan for free city bus rides for kids 6 to 12 is needed and long overdue, advocates say

For Sophia Lukindo, free transit for kids aged six to 12 isn't just a concept. It means saving nearly $30 a week.

Lukindo lives in Westdale, and often takes her three kids — aged 11, eight and two — on the bus with her. Sometimes she takes them one stop to school. Other times, they head to Jackson Square or the bay front. Each time, she pays $2.10 each for two of her three children, plus her own fare. It adds up.

Lukindo says she's eager for a proposed city pilot program that offers free HSR for kids six to 12 with a PRESTO card. City council still has to ratify it next week. But on Monday, its public works committee unanimously approved a one-year trial starting Nov. 1.

Lukindo says that saved money can go to groceries, or the cinema, or other activities.

"That means juice boxes and other things that I could do for the kids," she said. "It is a lot of money saved."

There are a few reasons for the program, which will cost around $163,189 using the city's 2019 figures. It helps families struggling during the pandemic, city staff say. But it also attracts riders at a time when the city needs them.

With the pandemic, HSR revenue fell $25.4 million in 2021, a staff report says. Provincial and federal money will cover it this year, but there's no guarantee for next year, when the city projects a shortfall of $9.9 million.