Media Release: Transit Project to Benefit High School Students from Charlottetown and Stratford
.jpg)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2019
Transit Project to Benefit High School
Students from Charlottetown and Stratford
Students attending Charlottetown Rural and Colonel Gray High Schools will have another travel option later this month as a student transit project gets underway in the City of Charlottetown and Town of Stratford. Interested students attending either of these schools can receive a free transit pass valid for the 2019-20 school year beginning in late November. The participating students will be required to attend a transit orientation session, agree to provide data on their transit usage throughout the program and for those under 18 years of age, obtain parental/guardian consent. Further information on the orientation session and passes will be communicated directly to the students through the schools.
“The primary goal of this project is to build future transit riders,” said Stratford Mayor Steve Ogden. “We want our youth, as they transition to adults, to know that they have transportation choices, ones that are better for the environment, and this program is one way to do that. Transit is still relatively new to PEI and we hope that the next generation will embrace it as a viable option for their day to day lives.”
In the spring of 2019, the City of Charlottetown piloted the first student transit program with students at Colonel Gray High School participating. The program is based on a project from the City of Kingston, Ontario where the municipality generated a 20-fold increase in student public transit ridership by providing a fully subsidized transit pass for all high school students, as well as a bus orientation program in their community. When this project was piloted in Charlottetown students transit usage increased, and students reported the pilot having improved their personal mobility, access to after school activities, and their families transportation needs. Kingston won a 2018 Sustainable Communities Award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for the project.
“Giving our future leaders the opportunity to learn how transit can be a viable way to commute around the Capital Region will only increase ridership moving forward,” said Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. “I look forward to seeing the results of this pilot project with high hopes of its success so we can significantly reduce the carbon emissions coming from the Birthplace of Confederation”.
While the primary objective of the program is to support youth in making sustainable transportation choices into the future, the program can also benefit students who may not have access to traditional transportation methods for extra curricular activities, allowing them to participate more fully in the community. Additions by T3 Transit, including wifi on the busses, the ReadyPass app and Google Transit, make it easier and more convenient than ever for students, and the general public, to take transit in the greater Charlottetown area.
The program has been approved for the 2019-20 school year and will be assessed upon completion before a decision is made on subsequent years.
-30-
Media contacts:
Jennifer Gavin, Communications Officer
City of Charlottetown
T: 902-629-4102
E: [email protected]
Wendy Watts, Community & Business Engagement Manager
Town of Stratford
T: 902-569-1995
E: [email protected]
Printable version: Media Release - Transit Project to Benefit High School Students from Charlottetown and Stratford.pdf