June is designated as Seniors Month, and Transit Windsor would like to honour community seniors by offering a special discount during the first week of June. From June 1-7, 2008, seniors may ride any city* bus for just a loonie!
*Tunnel bus services are excluded. Senior fare applies to anyone 60 years and over. Seniors must show valid ID upon paying their fare, if requested by the driver.
The Transit Windsor Board of Directors approved this initiative in recognition of the contributions made by seniors every day in Windsor. The proposal was a direct result of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC) and sub-committee of Student Ambassador Program (SAP) members desire to increase ridership and honour Windsor’s senior population. MYAC and SAP were also responsible for the price break for students during the school March break.
The Board of Director’s Chair, Councilor Caroline Postma, stated, “This is a wonderful initiative that our Board members fully supported. MYAC and SAP are proving that they are interested in increasing ridership for all segments of the population and not just looking for benefits for students. Clearly, both groups understand the importance of keeping seniors active and vital in our community, and as a result, our community reaps the benefits from seniors staying involved”.
Denny Timm, Co-Chair, of MYAC and a non-voting member of the Transit Windsor Board of Directors, said, “Members of SAP are excited about this initiative and will work at ensuring that seniors are aware of the price break.” We saw ridership increases during the price break for students and hope the same is true for seniors.”
Background:
The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC) is a group of volunteers from various secondary schools and community groups within the City of Windsor. MYAC identifies and reports to the Mayor and Council on issues that affect youth in the City of Windsor, including communication strategies, placement/training opportunities, race, religion, youth culture, activities and venues, volunteer and community work recognition. In May 2007, City Council appointed a member of MYAC to sit on the Transit Windsor Board as a non-voting member.
The Student Ambassador Program (SAP) is a group of volunteers from each secondary school within the City of Windsor. The SAP was established as a subcommittee of MYAC to promote public transit at the secondary level and assist in improving communications, increasing ridership and the environmental benefits of sustainable transportation.
Transit Windsor continues to increase public awareness of the importance of transit. A single bus can eliminate up to 50 single occupancy vehicles. Transit keeps our cities moving at the lowest possible cost; without public transit, we would need to build more roads than taxpayers or the environment could support. Building public transit is vital to ‘smart growth’ strategies that help our cities reduce costs and undesirable impacts of urban sprawl.
