Item - 2025.TTC8.3

The TTC Board:

1. Received this report on the pilot program’s outcomes, including service, financial, and operational implications.

2. Approved an extension of the free transit for Grade 7 to 12 student field trips pilot program for the 2025-2026 school year, at an estimated financial impact of $25,000 in foregone fare revenue.

3. When reporting to the Board on the student field trips pilot program for the 2025-2026 school year, report the actual financial impact to the TTC, not a notional loss of possibly foregone fare revenue, recognizing that these field trips may not have occurred without the pilot program, and that they only take place off-peak on Mondays and Fridays when the system has substantial empty seats.

In May 2024, the TTC Board approved a pilot program offering free transit for Grade 7 to 12 student field trips during the 2024-2025 school year. This report presents the results of the pilot, aligned with its objectives, and highlights specific impacts on schools located within Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs).

The program required participation agreements with Toronto’s public and separate English- and French-speaking school boards, which specified when field trips were eligible for reimbursement through the pilot program. As a result of requiring participation agreements, program uptake was lower than originally projected. Of the 531 eligible schools, 28 participated, collectively receiving reimbursement for 2,664 Youth PRESTO Tickets used on 77 field trips. While both Toronto French school boards signed agreements to participate in the pilot program, neither requested reimbursements for field trips taken during this period.

Although uptake was limited, there were notable successes that can be built upon in future years if the pilot is continued:

• One-third of participating schools were in NIAs (36%), and over half of field trips originated from these areas.
• More than 1,800 students received educational materials and participated in discussions aimed at increasing their comfort and confidence using transit.
• Survey responses indicated that more than 80% of participating teachers said the pilot incentivized taking a field trip, and 63% agreed that the program enabled an educational outing that would not have occurred otherwise.

Survey results also indicated that two-thirds of teachers lacked awareness or knowledge of the pilot program. However, among those who were aware, more than half of the teachers used the program to facilitate a field trip. Improvements to the program that could increase uptake in the future and allow for a better assessment of the program impact include:

• Increased promotion. Continue to provide materials to school boards to share with teachers and educational support staff to increase awareness of the program.
• Expanded educational materials. Update the classroom training materials to include specific information about the pilot, group travel, and how to use PRESTO Tickets on the TTC.
• Amended service parameters. Conditions have been put in place to enable this pilot to ensure no additional service is required to accommodate field trips. As pilot uptake has been lower than originally anticipated, expanding the permitted days of week, times of day, and routes could increase program utility. However, additional service may be required should the parameters be amended.
• Streamlined administration process for reimbursements. Explore ways to improve submission requirements for school boards to improve data entry, data submissions, and verification.

TTC staff recommend extending the pilot program with the current service parameters for the 2025-2026 school year to allow for comprehensive data collection and monitoring to evaluate the pilot’s effectiveness. It is anticipated that heightened program awareness and expanded educational materials will lead to increased participation, providing more robust data for evaluation of the program. Upon review of the service parameters, it may not be possible to further expand the permitted days, times, and routes without additional resources due to impacts on ridership, crowding, and resource requirements.