A student-led initiative to provide free bus service during the Canada Winter Games has reached its goal.
The UNBC Students Pave the Way campaign raised enough money to shutter public transit fare boxes between Feb. 12 and March 1.
More than $37,000 in donations and sponsorships will cover the anticipated revenue lost by the city to provide the free service.
Public transit in Prince George costs $25,500 every day. That figure covers everything from the operator's salaries to the cost of the buses, said B.C. Transit spokesperson Meribeth Burton.
The city shells out about $13,600 every day and the rest is covered by the province ($11,900) and rounded out by cash fares and prepaid passes. The donations from more than 40 individuals and organizations will cover the lost cash fare revenue of about $2,100 per day.
When the students approached organizers with their idea, everyone was on board, said Emily Harrison, sustainability manager with the Games.
"There were, however, doubts that all 18 days would be achieved, given the huge financial and human resource constraints on the community in preparation for the Games," Harrison said. "These UNBC student leaders, however, would not be deterred."
Donor fatigue was a hurdle to overcome when the campaign began in October, said Eryn Beddoes, a recent graduate of UNBC's environmental engineering program and member of the school's sustainability committee.
But students sold eventual supporters on the potential environmental, financial and social benefits.
"Fewer vehicles on the road means less emissions and release of pollutants," said Beddoes. "For a city that experiences air quality issues, this is already worth its weight in gold."
Having free, safe transportation around the city could also encourage more people to use the bus on a regular basis and allow residents and visitors to explore areas of the city to which they may be less inclined to try to drive during the busy Games period.
Post-secondary students already receive a form of free transit by way of the U-Pass, said Eric Depenau, chair of the College of New Caledonia Students' Union, and students are eager to share that experience with everyone else.
"Having access to public transit will definitely support a lot of people who wouldn't be able to afford it or have mobility issues to get down there," Depenau said. "We know there's going to be thousands and thousands of extra people here in the city joining us for the celebration so being able to use public transit will definitely be more convenient for folks."
Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall and UNBC president Daniel Weeks praised the students' efforts, with both organizations among those sponsoring a free day of transit.
"By doing the work you've done the Games have taken on, I think, a different quality," Hall told the student leaders. "They've taken on an ownership that you can be proud of."
Weeks said he was proud of the Pave the Way campaign being yet another reason the post-secondary institution is "an incredible university."
"This week I've talked about how our students led the way on our receiving the fair trade designation, I've talked about our incredible student athletes whoa are going out into the community and visiting people at the hospitals and working on anti-bullying campaigns and here we are again with another incredible group of students that are leaders in our community and really building something that is absolutely spectacular for the north - that's what this is all about," Weeks said.
Many communities choose to waive this kind of revenue and offer free days of transit for various occasions, such as Canada Day or New Years' Eve, but nothing has ever been done to this magnitude, said Burton, who agreed with the students' assessment that the initiative could potentially lead to more transit use.
"It's going to be congested at some of these centres and arenas where the events are happening," Burton said. "If we can encourage people to park their vehicles, give transit a try for two weeks we know that we'll start building greater ridership and getting new customers."
Bus service boosted
During the Canada Winter Games, BC Transit is adding extra runs to get spectators to venues.
For evening events and the opening ceremonies on Feb. 13, a special shuttle between downtown will run between downtown (at Seventh Avenue and Dominion Street) and CN Centre.
There will also be a shuttle running between downtown and UNBC for the closing ceremonies on March 1.
Extra runs are also being added for weeknights and Saturdays on routes 5, 11, 89, 15/88 (Westgate special), 88 and 15/89 Hart special. Sundays will see Saturday-level service. Some trips on routes normally associated with UNBC and School District 57 classes are cancelled.
For a full schedule, visit www.bctransit.com.
