Guide: Engaging students to increase public transit ridership

This guide provides step-by-step information and tools for building a partnership between your municipality and school boards, engaging stakeholders and implementing a student transit pass program.

It shares the story and lessons learned from the City of Kingston, ON and its Transit High School Bus Pass Program, which won a 2018 FCM Sustainable Communities Award. The program provides free transit passes to all high school students along with on-bus orientation to teach students how to ride the bus and the benefits of public transit.

In this guide, learn how to:

• Engage stakeholders, form strong partnerships and build your team.
• Design a program to fit your community.
• Implement the program through a coordinated effort by schools and the transit authority.
• Measure and report results, and share your story with others.

This guide is designed for school district staff and school board commissioners, municipal staff, including transit authority personnel, transit planners, sustainability coordinators, as well as municipal elected officials who want to take action to increase transit use in their community.

Read the guide.