A public school board trustee is hoping to explore a partnership that would offer Waterloo Region students free rides on public transportation.
Waterloo Region District School Board trustee Jayne Herring put the motion forward at a Monday night meeting to request a report on what it would take to provide students with free bus passes.
"It is recommended that the Waterloo Region District School Board trustees request a report exploring the feasibility and partnering with the Region of Waterloo and cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, to provide free bus passes to secondary students as well as free transpiration for students from Kindergarten to age 14," said Herring.
Herring said she got the idea for free rides for students, after a similar partnership was made in Kingston.
"I'm hearing from parents that even though certainly they might not qualify for that program, that it's still very expensive to buy two passes for two secondary students to attend school. So I think we owe it to our students and our families and our community to give this a good try," Herring said.
The move comes as eight school bus routes were cancelled Monday due to ongoing driver shortages.
Grand River Transit offered reduced fares for all elementary and high school students but that service ended in 2021. GRT then started The Affordable Transit Program (ATP), to help anyone living with low income in the region.
