City of Burlington to consider free-fare public transit system

The City of Burlington is considering making a major change to its public transit system.

City Council has asked Burlington Transit to look into the option of eliminating fares, and to report back by the end of this year.

Right now, children and seniors ride for free at all times, and youths can ride for free on evenings and weekends. All other age categories of riders must pay to take the bus at all times.

The city is asking Burlington residents to participate in a survey to indicate interest levels in this program.

Residents who frequently use public transit in Burlington have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the initiative.

Most seem to be on board with the idea of eliminating fares, but say it is more important to have reliable and frequent bus service.

Make it more convenient for people to take buses to and from work. An example of poor scheduling is the timetables at Appleby where buses depart the station 1/2 mins before express trains arrive in, so commuters are then waiting 15 mins for the next bus home ‍♂️

— KM (@kandkcanada) August 27, 2024

This is correct. Improve transit. There’s no point in it being free if it’s unavailable or difficult to use

— vb (@bhar8670) August 27, 2024

The survey will be open until Sept. 15.

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