Editor:
It’s a rare thing for people to come together over a bold vision of what could be, but this is exactly what we saw culminate on Feb. 6. We would like to thank the SCRD directors for their leadership and forward-thinking in approving a pilot for Free Transit for Youth on the Coast, starting Sept. 2, 2024. We would also like to thank SCRD staff who have worked with our community-led initiative over the past year to bring forward our ideas. And finally, many thanks go to our community, parents, students, and community groups that have supported us so well.
Special thanks to the Town of Gibsons, and the Gibsons Transportation and Accessibility Committee (GTAC), from which our initiative began.
This initiative seeks to teach the next generation of transit riders, while taking up unused capacity within the current bus system. It will support families on the Coast and reduce poverty-driven inequalities between youth. From this investment in our community, the Coast’s youth will be better off accessing resources and participating in community events and activities. Teens from Elphi to Chat to the Alternative School and beyond are already celebrating!
It has been incredible to see such support from across our community! We’ll continue working hard through the next year to help this program help our youth!
Anna Lattanzi, Colten Rockford, Cael Read
