Keep free youth transit simple

For too many young Winnipeggers, the cost of a bus pass is a barrier. It can mean missing a class, turning down a job opportunity or staying home from a program that could change their future.

Free transit for youth in Winnipeg is a transformational policy that will pay dividends for decades to come — advancing key environmental, educational and poverty reduction goals in our communities.

As champions for young people across our city, BGC Winnipeg and the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg commend Premier Wab Kinew and Mayor Scott Gillingham for recognizing that investing in young people is investing in Winnipeg’s future. By uniting to make transit free for youth across Winnipeg, both levels of government are delivering a forward-thinking policy that has the potential to have generational impact.

At a time when families are stretched to their limits by inflation, free transportation for youth offers real, immediate relief.

Saving money on monthly bus passes means parents can reallocate hard-earned dollars toward non-negotiable basic needs — rent, groceries and utility bills.

Beyond the immediate household savings, free youth transit is an investment in our city’s future.

First, it fosters a lifelong habit of public transit use, which is essential to shrinking our collective carbon footprint and building a greener Winnipeg.

Second, and just as critically, it removes a significant barrier for our most vulnerable young people.

This past June, Winnipeg School Division reported that chronic absenteeism is a significant concern, affecting approximately nine per cent of its student population. The division identified systemic barriers including housing instability, food insecurity and transportation as key factors that require coordinated community and government action.

Consider the impact of one in every 10 students regularly missing school because of circumstances beyond their control.

These are not simply attendance challenges — they are barriers to learning, social connection and long-term success. Although not the only solution required, addressing transportation is one practical, tangible step that can help remove one of those barriers and ensure more young people have consistent access to education and opportunity.

Transportation shouldn’t dictate whether a teenager can thrive.

Manitoba’s 2023 Poverty & Education Task Force report recommended free transit for youth, recognizing the barriers for youth living in poverty. Free transit also gives youth the ability to travel to part-time jobs, medical appointments, community and youth programs, and stay active at the local gym. It gives young Winnipeggers autonomy and opportunity.

And as we know in the youth-serving sector, opportunity changes everything.

However, as those of us who have spent years working on social policy and community change know, the devil is always in the details.

A program is only as good as its delivery. If the rollout is burdened with complicated application forms, endless administrative hurdles, or separate card distribution systems, youth who need this program most will be the ones left standing at the curb.

We have already seen how low-income Winnipeggers struggle to navigate the onerous process required to access programs such as the WINNpass. We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes here.

We urge the province and the city: keep it simple. The most effective system is one that uses existing infrastructure. Every high school student in Winnipeg is already issued a student card.

Rather than inventing a new registration process, managing separate distribution channels or adding administrative strain to schools and community organizations, let youth simply show their student IDs to board the bus. For the minority of youth not connected to a school setting, the city can partner with youth-serving agencies to ensure these young people don’t miss out.

No extra paperwork. No unnecessary delays. No digital or physical barriers to entry.

The city and province have taken a visionary step forward for Winnipeg’s youth. Now, we must ensure that vision becomes a frictionless reality for every young person who needs it.

A free transit program should be easy to understand, easy to access and designed with young people and families in mind.

The simpler and more accessible we make this rollout, the more successful, equitable and greater the impact will be.

Cordella Friesen is CEO of YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, and Noëlle DePape is CEO of BGC Winnipeg.