The city is offering free public transit to seniors aged 65+ during Tuesdays in the month of June, in recognition of Seniors Month.
Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée presented a motion for the free transit days, supported by Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh, during this week’s finance and administration committee meeting.
“Many seniors live on fixed incomes, and with rising living costs, this is one way to help,” she said, adding that by targetting individual rides she hopes the free transit days support seniors in the greatest need, who can’t afford monthly passes.
“Those people typically rely on friends, families or neighbours to get around or rely on neighbours to get around and leave their homes to do errands around the community.”
Although supportive of the motion due to its link to Seniors Month, Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti said future efforts toward free transit should include a “needs analysis” rather than pigeonhole all seniors as being in need.
Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer also shared this sentiment when explaining his vote against the proposal. His was the only vote of city council to oppose Labbée’s motion.
“I’m also a senior, but I don’t need a free bus ride, I can afford to pay my way,” he said, adding that including a means test to qualify would have been better, though unlikely given the short period of time for this program.
Sizer also cited a past pilot program of city council that provided free bus rides for seniors, which he said “did not show much uptake.”
The results were actually inconclusive.
During a six-month trial project in 2016, the city offered free transit and handi-transit to seniors over the age of 65 on Mondays, which was later extended by city council to the end of the year.
At the close of the pilot project, staff were unable to determine whether there was an increase in public transit use among seniors. According to a business case for the city’s 2017 budget, they were unable to compare year over year ridership due to the definition of senior changing from 55-plus to 65-plus.
During 2017 budget deliberations, Greater Sudbury city council opted against making free transit for seniors on Mondays permanent, which would have carried an annual revenue reduction of approximately $100,000.
At the time, Sizer told his colleagues that he couldn’t support it, but could support a means test, which he also indicated this week.
The concept of free transit service for seniors was brought up again last year, when the local chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons was advocating for Greater Sudbury to follow the City of Brampton’s lead by making public transportation free for seniors.
Then-Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland argued that blanketing all seniors as being in need of free public transit service is false.
Statistics Canada reported that the median net worth among seniors in 2019 was $322,300, while the median net worth among non-seniors was $51,000.
When it comes to economic families (a group of two or more people living in the same dwelling and related by marriage or family), the median net worth of senior families was $840,900, while the median net worth of non-senior families was $443,400.
The poverty rate among Canadian seniors aged 65 and older was 4.7 per cent in 2020, which was lower than all other age groups.
The poverty rate among young adults aged 18-24 was 14 per cent. It was 7.9 per cent among adults aged 25-54, and nine per cent among adults aged 55 to 64.
“In addition to private and public pension plans, Canadians 65 years and older with lower incomes are eligible to receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement,” Statistics Canada noted.
“These income sources afford many seniors the opportunity to maintain a basic standard of living and stay out of poverty.”
Free public transit for seniors 65 years of age and older will take place every Tuesday in June, and applies to both GOVA and GOVA Plus services. It comes at a projected revenue reduction of $11,200, funded through reserves. A business case will come forward for 2024 budget deliberations to make the program permanent.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
