Tanya Park is vowing to bring back discounted bus passes for the elderly if elected London's mayor next month.
The mayoral candidate announced Wednesday she would bring forward a business case in the next multi-year budget to reinstate the subsidized seniors bus pass.
According to Park, she has encountered many seniors on the campaign trail who have raised the issue. Those on a fixed income can maintain their independence with the cheaper pass, while not having to choose between paying bills and getting to where they need to go, insists Park.
The discounted bus pass for the elderly was traded on January 1 of this year for a new transit pass system that provides cheaper fares for all low-income earners.
“Over this term of council, we made changes to ensure people living under the low-income cut off had access to subsidized transit,” said Park. “I still believe in those changes, but I also recognize those living just above that cut off in our senior population have been really struggling since this change. That is why it’s important to remedy this in the next multi-year budget.”
Based on 2017 ridership data, the estimated cost to reinstate the seniors subsidy would be $380,000. Park notes the extra cash can be found in the tax base without having a big impact on the overall budget.