Region may consider free transit rides for children and seniors

Regional councillors want details on the cost and feasibility of giving free transit rides to children and seniors, and say such a policy could help Grand River Transit get past a pandemic slump in revenue and ridership. 

The pitch made by the Waterloo Region Age Friendly Network's Rick Chambers during Tuesday’s planning and works committee meeting closely aligns with a request already on the table that asked transit staff to report back with details on a similar proposal.

That report will return to the council horseshoe next week during a planning and budget committee meeting.

Chambers' presentation this week had many regional councillors reacting favourably to the idea of a one-year pilot program offering free rides to children 12 and under and free rides for adults 65 and older on certain days.

With 20 per cent of the region’s population reaching the age of 65 or older in the next few years, Chambers said the reasons to encourage ridership among that age group are growing. The biggest benefits, he said, will be felt on the roads, in the air and in the overall well-being of the community.

Greater transit use among seniors would reduce the number of single rider cars on the road, reduce air pollution and improve the overall health of the community, he said. On the social side, seniors would benefit from getting out more to reduce social isolation and improve their mental and physical health.

Citing a recent move in British Columbia that offered free transit rides for kids under 12, Chambers said “you’re building the ridership of the future today” and creating habits that have the potential to last a lifetime.

“When you look at our region, southern Ontario and elsewhere, Grand River Transit is one of the outliers here in not having free transit for children,” he said.

Thirteen cities already offer free rides for children including Barrie, Brantford, Burlington, Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton, and London.

Likewise, many communities across southern Ontario already offer free rides for older adults on certain days and times. 

Brampton Transit, for example, provides free rides for seniors every day while Mississauga offers $1 rides for older adults throughout the week, Chambers added.

The idea of offering free rides for seniors on Wednesdays and Sundays came out of a survey done by the Cambridge Council on Aging before the pandemic that revealed those days would be the most popular. It also aligns with the days Ottawa Transit has chosen to offer free rides for seniors, he said.

A study conducted by the City of Oakville found seniors who got used to riding free on certain days would use transit on other days to get to appointments and events because they found it easy to navigate, convenient, reliable and they didn’t have to pay for parking.

Transit becomes particularly important to older seniors who can no longer drive themselves but still need to get around, he said.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said although he has concerns about the negative impact on GRT’s revenues, it’s an idea he’s excited to see implemented. Opening transit up for those age groups wouldn’t put pressure on the system and should be seen as an investment that could help grow revenues, he said.

Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said she would eventually like to see all transit fares reduced by as much as 75 per cent of current fares, noting that even with an affordable transit program in place for those that qualify, it can be out of reach for many families.

“I see transit as not just about moving people, it’s about economic development, it’s about health and wellness, it’s about climate change, it’s about talent attraction and community belonging and equity and all those things,” McCabe said.

Coun. Chantal Huinink said she believes such a policy could end up generating more revenue in the long run if it encourages families to use transit who wouldn’t otherwise.

Coun. Pam Wolf agreed, saying she believes if a free program was in place for children and seniors, even for certain days of the week, it would “take away all those fears” about using the system and generate increased ridership and revenues over time.

But not all were as enthusiastic about the proposal.

Coun. Sue Foxton said the idea of a senior who made a six-figure income getting free transit when a single mom has to pay, “sort of hits me as wrong.”

Commissioner of transportation services Mathieu Goetzke said that was one of the reasons GRT opted to remove its age-based discounts in 2021 to focus on supporting low-income riders across the board. 

He referred to the recent census that showed 2.9 per cent of people in Waterloo region aged 65 and over are below low-income cut offs versus 7.2 per cent of residents aged 18 to 64.

Goetzke said despite rolling out the affordable transit program during the pandemic, it still exceeded its goal of benefiting 8,600 riders.

He said it’s difficult to find a balance between making transit affordable for those who need it the most and making it accessible and desirable for a wider population without sacrificing revenue.

Thoughts on maintaining and improving service levels need to be part of the discussion, he said, adding any cost cuts on the service side resulting from reduced revenues would make it less adaptive to older age groups.  

“Level of service is what determines transit usage more than anything else.”

Chair of the planning committee Coun. Colleen James said she hopes the staff report will include details on where service levels can be increased.