Kids 12 and under to ride Oakville Transit free starting March 1

The Town of Oakville is making it more convenient and affordable for families to travel throughout the community. Beginning Monday, March 1, 2021, Oakville Transit will offer fare-free travel for kids aged 12 and under.

This pilot program aims to promote a healthier and more engaged community. The program provides additional value to residents when travelling by transit by eliminating financial barriers for residents wishing to travel with children and creating a seamless travel experience.

Customers may be asked to provide proof of age for any of the concession categories (child, youth, senior) before they board. Oakville Transit encourages all riders to obtain a PRESTO card and tap when they board. This helps to identify the correct concession of the customer, and is the best form of contactless payment. When a child uses the PRESTO card, the ride will be recorded as a $0 fare.

“We’re thrilled to launch this program and offer free transit for children 12 and under,” said Barry Cole, Director of Oakville Transit. “We hope this gives riders an easier and more affordable transit experience, resulting in long-term transit use.”

Oakville Transit is piloting this program until December 31, 2022 in order to allow for accumulation and analysis of sufficient post-pandemic data to inform a 2023 budget decision. In addition, this will provide time to assess the experience of the other transit agencies with similar programs.

Oakville Transit hopes this new program will create convenient regional travel, improve customer experience, and encourage ridership.

Town staff will report back to Council in December of 2022 on the program results.

For more information, please visit the Oakville Transit website.