Education minister unveils transit rebate for eligible students
Tens of thousands of Alberta students who rely on public transportation to get to class could save hundreds of dollars each year through a new rebate program.
Education Minister David Eggen announced a Municipal Transit Rebate at City Hall on Monday that will see eligible students pay only the difference between the cost of a monthly public transit pass and per-student provincial transportation funding.
In Edmonton, where a monthly bus pass for youth between the ages of six and 17 costs $73 and the provincial government provides $549 per student per year in transportation funding, eligible junior high or high school students could save more than $300 in annual transportation costs.
“That is a substantial amount of money, especially for families that are paying for two or three or five children,” said Eggen.
With five children in her home and no high school within walking distance, Amy Schnoor said she knows first-hand the difference these savings will mean for families who count on public transportation to get their kids to school.
“I believe these youth and their families will use the extra money that would normally be used on an Edmonton Transit pass to save for post-secondary education, pay for opportunities to participate in sports, art or music programs that are often unaffordable, or may even pay for breakfast, lunch or dinner that would have otherwise been missed,” Schnoor said.
It’s not just parents who could benefit from the rebate.
Blake Mueller, a student enrolled in the Working with Children Career Pathway at Centre High, 10310 102 Ave., said the rebate could mean students living independently and saving for tuition will have to make less sacrifices to afford it.
“I find myself in situations where I have to choose between replacing old, decrepit shoes or I can have a full week’s worth of groceries,” Mueller said, adding that when money is tight, cutting back on “luxuries” often means not buying food or medicine.
Alberta students who live more than 2.4 kilometres away from their designated school in cities where there is a public transportation system will be eligible for the rebate, reducing the cost of transportation for more than 12,000 students in Edmonton and 30,000 students across Alberta.