City expands bus pass program for at-risk riders
Number of free passes for those in need jumps to 600 from pilot project’s 100
A city initiative to get free monthly transit passes into the hands of vulnerable Edmontonians is expanding to include both youth and adults.
Mayor Don Iveson and Coun. Scott McKeen announced Tuesday the revamped program will increase the number of available passes to 600 from 100. It builds on a pilot project launched in 2015 that focused on bus passes for homeless youth.
The program, Providing Accessible Transit Here (PATH), is administered by some of the city’s social agencies.
For those without the means to pay for transit, a skipped $3.25 turnstile fare can be a costly mistake that results in a fine.
A transit pass offers homeless and at-risk Edmontonians easier access to jobs, food, health care and other services without this worry.
“Working with these agencies so that the pass can help people access services which can help them turn things around is much more constructive than charging somebody for something that they can’t afford and then giving them a ticket ... which puts them in even more trouble,” Iveson said.
Grade 12 student Trent Pierre works at Ikea and knows how helpful a transit pass can be getting to and from work and school.
“There have been times when I was caught on the LRT without a pass, but thankfully those times I did just get little write-ups,” Pierre said.
“I’ve been working full-time for over two years and because of the PATH program, the bus pass allows me to get to work.”
The $35,600 cost of the program was covered by project partners,
I’ve been working full-time for over two years and because of the PATH program, the bus pass allows me to get to work.
beyond $600 spent producing the new passes, according to a news release.
The city is theoretically foregoing some transit revenue, but the savings are that peace officers do not have to chase people off the buses and trains who can’t afford to pay, Iveson said.
The program is different from the Donate-A-Ride initiative that raises money to cover single transit tickets for low-income riders.