Free B.C. transit for kids under 12 starts in September

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Hundreds of thousands of B.C. families will save money on transit starting next month, when children 12 years of age and under start riding free of charge.

The news was included in the B.C. Budget 2021 earlier this year in a bid to make life more affordable for families.

“Taking public transit is a great choice,” Premier John Horgan said in a statement Monday. “It offers a cleaner, low-carbon way of getting around that works for people, communities and the environment. The ‘Get on Board’ program will also encourage a new generation of transit riders.”

About 370,000 children 12 and under in B.C. will be eligible for free transit.

Families in BC need affordable transportation to get where they're going. That's why, starting in September, children 12 and under will be able to take any @BCTransit or @TransLink service for free. Learn more: https://t.co/oxhUGfUu3t pic.twitter.com/MUFBQYkWhK

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) August 9, 2021

A child monthly TransLink pass currently goes for $57, which, with incoming changes, could translate to over $680 in annual savings.

Parents who usually buy a BC Transit children’s pass could save up to $420 per year.

This program is expected to cost the province about $26 million a year.

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The province adds the rollout of the program might look different for TransLink versus B.C. Transit users.

For BC Transit, children between 6 and 12 years old, who are unaccompanied, will be able to ride the buses and HandyDART for free without fare or identification.

However, BC Transit will require children 5-years-old and under will need to be accompanied by a person 12 or older.

Meanwhile, children 12 and under on TransLink won’t need an accompanied fare-paying customer, a transit pass or identification.

But for TransLink fare-gated services (Skytrain, SeaBus, and the West Coast Express), children under 12 will need to be with a fare-paying customer to tap them through.

If the child isn’t travelling with a fare-paying customer, they will need to purchase a ticket to get through the gates.

Starting Sept. 1, 2021, children under 12 can who can’t use conventional transit because of a disability will be able to apply to register as a HandyDART customer. However, to use HandyDART services, they will still need to be accompanied by an adult.

“While travel for children 12 and under will be free, parents/guardians remain responsible for providing adequate provisions for the safety and care of their children whenever travelling on transit, including when travelling unaccompanied and determining if their children may take transit unaccompanied,” the statement from the province adds.