Question about Calgary Transit bus passes?

Question

As a parent, I was wondering if it's better for my child to take the Transit (bus to c-train to school) or the school bus. She wants to take the city bus, but I'm not to sure about rates/how much I get refunded by the school? Please help!! For Calgarians only!

Answer 1

As far as I know the bus pass refunds are only available to high school students who live more than a certain distance from a school.  I think half the cost gets refunded and they can use a youth pass even if they are over age.  You would have to talk to  

someone at the school to find out if it is possible, if there is a school bus available I doubt it.

Answer 2

Hi Samantha,

From the way you describe your situation, I'm assuming your daughter is in High School, or will be come this September.  My son attends one of the local Catholic high schools in NW Calgary, and we live in Royal Oak... wayyyy too far to walk, so he qualifies for a seat on the bus.  The way it works is that many of Calgary's high schools charter the busses from Calgary Transit (with CTS drivers) but the route is dedicated to students from that school and only those who are registered for that area - the general public may not board that bus, and my son's friends from other neighborhoods attending the same school also cannot board that bus.  BUT... that's not to say that doesn't happen - even my own son is guilty of bringing home friends on his bus afterschool.  

The scheduling with those chartered busses is pretty tight, and they generally only make one run in the morning and one in the afternoon, so if your kid misses it, she can take regular Calgary Transit (Bus or train or any combination).  

ALL students who are elegible are issued a Calgary Transit Youth Bus Pass, but it's not free - we pay ours at the beginning of the school year from Sept through June, and the cost works out to $35.5 per month - the Calgary Separate School District (CSSD) subsidizes $15/month... so a regular student pass if you want to purchase it yourself is $50.50 - and you pay that whole amount if your child loses their bus pass and it needs to be replaced.  I assume the Public system works the same way.  By the way, most schools will allow you to decide how you want to purchase the passes - you can pay monthly, bi-annually or even anually.  We pay in Sept, and the school automatically distributes the passes at the beginning of  each month to those who prepaid.

A few points to keep in mind regarding those youth/student passes:

  * The student may use it at ANYTIME during the month it was issued, not just on school days

  * You may claim the cost of the portion you pay after subsidy on your income tax return as a public transportation claim (Make sure she doens't throw the old ones out - you'll need to keep them to make a claim on them - they are the "official receipt!!!)

  * It is considerably cheaper than paying "per ride"

Hope that helps, Samantha... and good luck making those decisions :)