Giving youth a reason to choose green transportation options now and later in life is the goal of a new free bus pass program being offered by the City of Victoria and BC Transit.

Youth aged six to 18 who live in the municipality can apply now for a BC Transit youth U-PASS, good for the full Victoria regional transit system from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021.

“I believe giving youth access to free transit is fundamentally important and will create lifelong transit users, keeping more cars off the roads and reducing emissions in the long term,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said in a release.

The city is billing the program as the first of its kind in British Columbia.

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Youth can apply online for their U-PASS, and the annual pass card with picture identification will be mailed to their home. Documentation proving the passholder’s age and residence must be provided in the application. To apply in person, visit the city’s public service centre at city hall.

For more information, visit upass.victoria.ca or victoria.ca/transit, email upass@victoria.ca or call 250-385-5711.

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