WRDSB trustees give green light to motion exploring free GRT passes for students
Trustees with Waterloo region’s public school board are moving forward with exploring options to provide free bus passes to students.
A motion passed at Monday night’s Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) committee meeting will see a report put together on the feasibility of providing free Grand River Transit (GRT) passes to secondary school students.
The report will determine the financial implications, which are currently not known, and the possibility of local partnerships to make it happen.
The motion requests board staff explore a partnership with the Region of Waterloo and/or its townships and municipalities.
It also requests the report look at the possibility of partnering with local businesses and explore any funding supports that exist.
The motion also includes the idea of some kind of free transportation for younger students, however, the details of what this will look like have not been released.
Some students attending WRDSB schools do not qualify for school buses because of where they live and rely on GRT to get to and from school.
“Obviously there are so many other families that have multiple children doing this and that cost adds up, it definitely adds up,” said student trustee Vaishnave Raina during the meeting. “If this makes it easier for students to go to school it is definitely something worth considering.”
In July of 2021, GRT ended reduced fares for elementary and secondary students. The transit agency said this was “part of a transition away from age-based fare reductions to reductions based on income.”
Instead, the Affordable Transit Program (ATP) offers a 48 per cent discount on the price of GRT fares. This brings a monthly transit pass to $46.80.
Jean Stacey, a delegate at the meeting, said she believes the cost of transportation creates a barrier to accessing education for students who do not qualify for busing.
“Those students in Grades 9 through 12, living within the 3.2 kilometer range between home and school must pay for transportation on Grand River Transit at a substantial cost each month,” said Stacey. “This creates barriers for too many families in our community. Students are at an increased risk of poor attendance and potential drop out as families face increased financial demands.”
Stacey equated the cost of transportation with families having to choose between putting food on the table, or paying for school transportation.
Trustee Cindy Watson said she could not support the motion due to several unanswered questions, including how students will be kept safe on public transportation.
“We’re actually abdicating our responsibility onto Grand River Transit, businesses, when the problem lies with the ministry. I can’t support this for obvious reasons, and the number one reason is child safety,” said Watson.
Watson questioned the motion, saying she believed it could see students opt to take GRT instead of the school bus they are assigned to.
Associate Director Graham Shantz clarified there would be no changes to the current transportation plan.
“This is an investigation trustees are asking us to do to augment options that families may have above and beyond the current structures that we have,” said Shantz.
Board staff have now been asked to put together a report for trustees outlining how much this would all cost. No date was set for that report.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.