ClassPass Program is a hit with teachers and students

Saskatoon Transit’s ClassPass program is a resounding success! The numbers are in after two full years of offering the program, proving it's been well received. Since the program’s inception, over 1,000 requests have been approved - providing free transit services to 26,451 students for class field trips. Most field trips take place in May and June with 2,256 participants in May 2019 and 2,323 participants in June 2019. 

Fitting with the City’s Strategic Goal of Moving Around, the ClassPass program provides free transit service to Kindergarten through Grade 12 students, teachers, and chaperons, on regular transit routes, for field trip destinations within Saskatoon.  

"I am so thankful for the city's commitment to providing free transit services for class trips,” says Leanne Anderson, Grade 8 teacher at St. Philip School. “It has allowed my students the opportunity to engage in place-based learning opportunities that they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to participate in."  

The ClassPass program was designed to promote a change in attitudes and culture around public transit, while effectively providing students with transportation for class trips. It also introduces transit to a younger audience, building familiarity with taking public transit, while increasing ridership during non-peak hours.  

“We are looking to reach youth at a fundamental level to show them how transit can fit into any lifestyle, at any age, normalizing it as a way of life in our community,” says Jim McDonald, Director Saskatoon Transit  

Teachers must apply for a ClassPass at least two weeks in advance and only one class on a bus at a time. The program runs between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Applications can be found online at SaskatoonTransit.ca/class-trips. 

Due to the success of the program so far Saskatoon Transit expects even higher numbers of teachers and classes participating in the ClassPass program in the 2019/2020 school year.