Edmonton exploring more free transit for kids, more after school buses to rec centres

City councillors in the Alberta capital are looking at ways to make transit more affordable for young people and help them get to rec centres after school.

Two options being considered are to make it free for kids under 12 to ride, without any strings attached, and adding free service for students headed to rec centres after school.

Councillors who sit on the city's executive committee ordered two reports Wednesday to figure out how that would work and what it would cost taxpayers.

"There could be a financial impact on that, city staff are just going to go away to try to quantify that," said Ward O’day-min Coun. Anne Stevenson.

"There's also consideration that we could run it for a while, see what the impacts are, and come back with a budget adjustment in the future."

Children under 12 already ride the bus for free in Edmonton, but only if they are accompanied by someone who buys a ticket.

Low-income Edmontonians of all ages can also use 19 different rec centres for free through the “leisure access program.” But one advocate for youth sports says free admission isn’t that useful if people can’t afford to get there.

Tim Adams with Free Play for Kids also wants routes added from schools to rec centres like Terwillegar and Meadows. He consulted with city staff and believes that would cost about $250,000 a year, but Adams argues it would pay off huge in social and health benefits.

"Let’s just make them free between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., so the kids know that," Adams proposed.

"They see the Commonwealth express, they jump on that bus and off to Commonwealth (Rec Centre) they go, or the Clareview express, or the Meadows express or the Terwillegar express."

Council will debate free transit for kids under 12 during budget talks next month. The motion to prepare that amendment to transit rules passed 3-1 with councillors Stevenson, Andrew Knack and Erin Rutherford in favour. Coun. Jennifer Rice voted against.

A report on a pilot project for free after-school service to rec centres is due back in the spring. The motion to order that study passed unanimously.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson