Despite skepticism committee gets on board with free bus pass trial for high school students

Hundreds of grade nine students entering Clarke Road Secondary School this September could be the first to take part in a pilot project for bus passes

Hundreds of grade nine students entering Clarke Road Secondary School this September could be the first to take part in a pilot project evaluating the uptake and impact of distributing free London Transit passes to high school students.

However, several councillors on the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) expressed skepticism about the quality of data coming from a single school.

“If we wanted to see what the outcome of a [free high school bus pass] program was, we’d make it for the entire city,” said Coun. Corrine Rahman.

Rahman suggested high schools that draw students from across the city might provide more comprehensive data for a future decision about extending or expanding the program.

“We could get the same results, in terms of information, if this was 10 days of free transit for students across the city versus an entire two-year program,” she explained.

The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) estimates 250 students will enter Grade 9 at Clarke Road Secondary School in September and an additional 250 students will enter Grade 9 in September 2027.

Pending parental permission, each student would receive a free bus pass for the 10 months of the school year.

The maximum cost of the pilot project would be $1.03 million if all of the eligible students participate and exceed the threshold for the unlimited monthly transit pass.

No additional funding is available for the program beyond August 2028.

“I hate to be a negative Nelly, but I would much rather see us do a few things really, really well,” said Coun. Susan Stevenson. “[Rather] than start all these projects trying to do good, when I think we’re setting ourselves up to fail.”

The program aims to evaluate the impact of free transit access on student attendance, academic achievement, participation in extracurricular and community activities, and overall transit use.

Following a lengthy discussion, the committee endorsed launching the pilot project in September.

A final decision will be made by Council on Feb. 10.

London Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis told CTV News after the meeting that the data collected will inform future decisions.

“Maybe it tells us that we need to change our price point on passes for secondary students down the road, [or] adjust our subsidy programs,” said Lewis. “It will give us a better baseline on student [ridership], and I think we’ll hear from the qualitative surveys whether or not they think it needs to be throughout high schools.”

He added that high school students deserve an opportunity to show they will utilize free bus passes.

“We are already heavily subsidizing Western [University] and Fanshawe [College] students who are adults, who are here for less of the year than our secondary students who live here all year round,” observed Lewis. “So why are we not focusing our transit on Londoners who are here 12 months of the year?”