For Immediate Release: Get On The Bus: Empowering Youth With Free Transit
JUNE 12, 2023 – Small Change Fund will launch Get on the Bus, a national youth transit movement, today at 1:00pm EST via Zoom.
Speakers will include community advocates, government officials, students and school board staff who will share first-hand experiences and insights on investing in youth transit education.
Since 2012, Kingston, Ontario has implemented a simple but powerful model for youth transit participation: give high school students a free transit pass and teach them how to use it. The city increased high school ridership from 28,000 rides in 2012 to nearly 600,000 (pre-Covid) rides annually. Kingston has also seen long term growth and utilization by youth: between January 2017 and April 2023, monthly young adult transit pass sales increased by 140%.
Small Change Fund is Canada’s first charitable crowdfunding and awareness platform. They have partnered with Dan Hendry, initiator of the Kingston program, to develop Get on the Bus and bring the benefits seen in Kingston to communities nationwide.
“I have seen firsthand the benefits this program has brought to our community, not only through leading it but as a parent of a kid who gets to use the free pass. Encouraging transit has helped improve our air quality, allows youth to get to jobs and provides students with equal access to opportunities,” says Hendry.
Get on the Bus will assist communities in developing policies, partnerships and resources to start their own youth transit programs.
Webinar registration will be open until 12:00pm EST today. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/getonthebus-
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For more information and media requests, please contact:
Burkhard Mausberg, President, Small Change Fund, burkhard@smallchangefund.ca