Teaching youth – and all of us – to use public transit

With the start of school, many parents find themselves driving their kids to school every morning.  It costs in time, fuel, emissions and congestion.  And it can be frustrating.

Could a better option be using public transit?

Get On The Bus is a brilliant program that started in Kingston, Ontario in 2012 when a few visionary people wondered why so few students used the transit system that ran right by their schools.  They quickly realized that the main reason was that students didn’t know how to use the system.  They’d never been taught by their parents (who mostly didn’t use it either), and so had become dependent on being driven everywhere, including to school.

So a program was developed with two simple elements:

• Bringing transit buses to schools and offering hands-on instruction so students could experience transit and learn how to use it comfortably
• Giving free transit passes to all students

The result?

• Student transit ridership increased from 30,000 trips in 2012 to nearly 600,000 trips by 2017 – an incredible 20-fold increase!
• Students gained independence and were able to travel to more activities – work, sports, volunteering, social groups – on their own; a valuable life skill!
• Parents saved time and money
• Increased usage helped strengthen the public transit system
• Emissions from private vehicle travel were reduced

So:

• If you’re a parent, why not explore the possibility of your child using public transit?  Who knows – you might find yourself using it too!
• If you’re a young person, why not ask your parents to show you how to use your local transit system, to save them time and give you independence?
• If you’re a teacher, principal or educational leader, why not forward this idea up the line?  After all, that’s how Get On The Bus got its grass-roots start in Kingston!
• If you’re a municipal leader or if you work in transit, why not explore the possibility of emulating the program?  Get On The Bus offers resources, coaching and training – including this webinar October 9.

So why not skip the driving and Get On The Bus?  Good for parents, kids, the wallet, transit systems and the environment! 

PS Walking, biking or taking the school bus are all pretty good options too!