City considers giving kids a free ride
An idea to allow children 12 and younger to ride city transit for free will be investigated further by city staff in 2020.
On Wednesday evening during budget talks, councillors asked for a staff report by June that would look at the benefits of free transit for kids.
The motion came from Coun. Kemi Akapo, who said she thinks it would encourage more families to ride the bus.
It would also mean young riders would grow up using transit — and she sees that as a benefit.
“If you teach someone at a very young age, they’re more likely to do it going forward,” she said.
On Wednesday night, Coun. Gary Baldwin asked how much giving kids free transit would cost annually in lost fares.
Kevin Jones, the city’s transportation manager, estimated the cost to be somewhere between $70,000 and $80,000 a year.
Still, Baldwin supported the idea of getting a staff report: “I think it’s a really good idea.” Meanwhile, Coun. Andrew Beamer pointed out that the city has “invested heavily” in transit enhancements over recent years: the city has increased its handi-van service, for instance, and added express routes to Trent University.
That has boosted ridership, he said — particularly among students.
But Beamer said that if the city’s goal is to get people out of their cars and using active transportation, then perhaps council ought to be spending on amenities such as trails rather than making “aggressive investments” in transit.
“Maybe we need to invest a little bit less in transit and a little bit more in bike lanes … to achieve our objective of getting people out of cars.”
But Akapo disagreed.
“If you want people to use transit, you need to invest in it,” she said, urging councillors to aim for a system that is “fast, efficient and on time.”
She noted that Kingston — to which Peterborough is often compared — is spending $17 million into transit this year, compared to $8 million in this city.
“That’s quite a difference,” she said. “If we want a good transit system, we have to invest in it.”