Whistler and the city of Victoria are launching pilot projects to make local transit free for secondary students.

In Whistler, the students will be provided free bus passes for the Whistler transit system early next year, while Victoria will give youth bus passes beginning next month.

Whistler’s plan will be funded by increasing the cost of monthly parking passes in day lots 1, 2 and 3, according to a news release from the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Passes for monthly parking passes will increase by $10 to $60 dollars a month.

Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton says he encouraged students at the climate rally to take the bus, and so this plan will help them get out of their cars.

“I want to see our ridership numbers increase so that we are forced to put more buses on the road and increase our transit service hours. Getting more people out of private passenger vehicles and onto transit is a major climate action goal here in Whistler and I know that our high school students can lead the way by taking transit,” Compton said in a statement.

Whistler’s Family Transit Program already allows up to three children under the age of 12 to travel for free for each fare-paying adult.

Crompton said making the switch directly helps reduce the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Whistler.

Whistler did not specify a date for the pilot to start but said it would begin in early 2020.

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