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A week of free transit for riders 55 years and older could be coming to Penticton

Free service would be in support of Seniors Week 2022 in the Peach City
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Penticton council will be prompted at an upcoming to approve whether people aged 55 and older should be provided with free transit during Seniors Week 2022. (Black Press photo)

As part of Penticton’s ongoing initiative to become “age-friendly,” council will be asked to approve a week’s worth of free transit for people aged 55 and older at its upcoming meeting.

The city’s Age-Friendly Action Plan will be among the talking points at the May 17 gathering, with an emphasis on Seniors Week 2022 taking centre stage.

Council will have an opportunity to direct staff to work with BC Transit in completing the initiative that would provide people 55 years and older with free public transit from June 5 to 11.

“In years past, the city has supported free transit for older adults,” staff’s report to council states. “The organizing committee has made a request that the city supports this again in 2022.”

Though there are no financial implications to implementing the Age-Friendly Action Plan, the city says BC Transit could lose about $2,000 in revenue if free transit is provided for a week.

“The Infrastructure Division has identified that this minimal revenue loss can be accommodated within the existing transfer budget,” the report reads.

Penticton council was previously presented with information in May 2021 about applying to be provincially recognized as an age-friendly community.

Though the action plan is nothing new, council will be asked to make a number of changes to the initiative so that an application can finally be made one year later.

READ MORE: Penticton-based youth homelessness report sent to Victoria, Ottawa as a ‘plea for action’


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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