An adult LTC pass costs $81 monthly. A price that is prohibitive for the 4000 plus youth in low-income households in London; and is amplified for families with multiple school going children. According to a survey by the MLHU (Middlesex Health Unit) in which 1000 Youth responded, the following conclusions were established; 

i) 47 percent of students said the LTC is their main mode of transportation. Fifty-seven percent stated they use this mode of transportation to go to and to come back from school.

ii) 90 percent of students said they can’t afford $81 for a monthly pass; 77 percent said they never buy a monthly pass and 65 percent said they would buy a student pass if that was an option.

The interest in the discounted bus pass has been highlighted in the past years with TVDSB Trustee Matthew Reid, pushing for the concept recently. As Youth Councillors, Hassan and I believe that it is time to make this a reality rather than a temporary discussion. Kitchener, Woodstock, Windsor, Hamilton, Sarnia, Whitby-Oshawa, St. Catherines, Niagara Falls, Burlington, Barrie, Oakville, Brantford and even St. Thomas all offer student bus passes to students who are in high school. Yet, London is still absent from that list, preventing thus city to successfully enter into the 21st Century. 

In a Referendum conducted by the LYAC (London Youth Advisory Council), 87% of voters supported the concept. Thus proving this is an issue that our populous cares
about and should be dealt with as such. 

With a discounted Bus Pass, Youth Ridership will dramatically increase. The LTC is the midst of a 5 Year Plan, this plan neglected to take into account, Youth perspective and opinions. This Bus Pass will encourage Youth to take bussing to work, extra curricular and other events. As highlighted by Matthew Reid, it will allow Youth to be less dependent on their parents to transport them to and from events. This has also been supported by Irene Matthysen; "An affordable annual pass would allow secondary students to participate more fully in the life of not only school but the entire London community". The increase ridership will also increase revenue which allows for enhancing of services, Phil Squire has said. The affordable Pass will open our Youth to culture of public transit and respecting the environment, said Jacob Skinner. 

Many schools in the TVDSB don’t offer bussing such as Oakridge Secondary. The threshold for school bussing is 3.2 Km meaning anything less forces students to rely on either their parents or public bussing. As well, it is time for London to catch onto the concept of the 21st Century, Youth are the future. We need to open doors for London Youth, this means allowing an affordable Bus Pass to be put in place and encourage Youth Ridership. This has been recognized by Community Leaders including but not limited to; City Councillors, TVDSB Trustees, Members of Provincial Parliament, Members of Federal Parliament and the community at large. It is time to make this a reality, not another temporary discussion. 

Below is a snippet of a statement that Irene Matthysen, a strong supporter was gracious enough to send in to us that we feel summarizes our entire goal. As well, a link to the study by the MLHU and articles done in the past and our social media presence. 

"When young people are able to participate in community life, they take greater pride in their community and engage more fully as citizens"
--Irene Mathyssen, MP

http://m.ourlondon.ca/news-story/2077331-food-or-school-health-unit-supports-push-for-teen-bus-pass​

http://www.lfpress.com/2015/02/26/thames-valley-district-school-board-wants-discounted-bus-passes-for-high-school-students​

http://www.lfpress.com/2014/09/03/thames-valley-board-trustee-to-push-for-discounted-bus-passes​

https://www.facebook.com/discountbuspassltc

 

Yours Truly,
Hassan Yousuf, Youth Councillor|LYAC, Ward 8

Moeez Tahir, Youth Councillor|LYAC, Ward 11