The Provincial Government today provided an update on the two-year pilot program to provide Metrobus or GoBus passes to income support recipients in the metro St. John’s area (St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise).
The pilot program was initially slated to launch in April, 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Advanced Education Skills and Labour, today announced the pilot program is proceeding. Based on discussions with Metrobus, it will be ready for the province to distribute bus passes to approximately 10,000 income support clients in metro St. John’s in September.
The passes will be sent by mail and come with information packages containing instructions on how to activate.
Individuals in receipt of income support living in the metro St. John’s area who do not receive a bus pass in the mail by September 23, 2020, are asked to call 709-729-7888 or email aesl@gov.nl.ca.
The Provincial Government committed in 2019 to provide bus passes to all income support clients in the metro St. John’s region by partnering with Metrobus and the City of St. John’s and is investing $2.1 million in 2020-21 and a further $1.575 in fiscal year 2021-22 for the program. The program will be evaluated following the two-year period and this evaluation will inform future delivery.
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“This pilot program is about much more than bus passes. It is about affordable access to social, cultural, and economic opportunity. This pilot project will provide individuals in receipt of income support with the ability to more fully participate in their communities, whether that’s visiting loved ones, engaging in extracurricular activities with their kids, attending medical appointments, or exploring options for rejoining the workforce. I look forward to seeing the results of this innovative pilot program designed to improve quality of life.”
Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore
Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour
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Media contact
Ryan Crocker
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour
709-729-1795, 725-9595
ryancrocker@gov.nl.ca