Brandon City Council had some good news for young transit riders at their meeting last night. They announced the implementation of the Free Youth Transit Pass Program from September 2026 to August 2027.
According to council, this program is contingent on a contribution agreement with the Province of Manitoba providing funding of up to $1 million. This means transit fares for eligible youth participants will be waived for the duration of the provincially funded program.
“This is a positive step toward promoting sustainable transportation in keeping with the city’s climate change action plan,” said Madelyn Robinson of Sustainable Brandon, who attended the meeting. “We hope council will approve this recommendation.”
Robinson did express concern, however, that the transit system would need to be upgraded in order to truly encourage more young people to choose transit as an option even if it was free. She pointed to a potential solution, though she wondered if the $1 million from the province would be enough to cover it.
“Increased ridership during peak times is already causing disruptive delays in transit routes servicing schools,” Robinson said. “We fear this problem will be exacerbated by students taking advantage of free transit. The easy solution is to run more busses on peak routes during those times.”
Also on the agenda at City Council, they approved financing arrangements to support key water and wastewater infrastructure projects in southwest Brandon and heard a presentation from representatives of Brine Bash regarding plans for the festival’s return in fall 2027.
