$1.75.

That was the price of a TTC ticket when I was a Grade 9 student commuting to my high school, Agincourt Collegiate Institute, for the Extended French program.

By the time I was in Grade 12, each ticket cost $2 because fares were raised, adding up to $20 every week. Thankfully, my family and I did not have to choose between attending a specialized program and saving money, because at the time, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) provided free TTC tickets to students in French and Gifted programs.

Today, some students are sadly opting out of these programs because TDSB funding for TTC tickets was reduced in 2019.

I remember how stressful it was to pick which high school to attend. Choosing a school further away from my home meant further complications with time and money.

To continue the Extended French program I was enrolled in, I had to travel to a high school that was over an hour’s walk away. To access better education, I needed public transit.

With only three high schools in Scarborough offering Extended French, it was hard for most Scarborough residents to access the program.

Luckily, free TTC tickets were offered for some students at the time. Now that fewer students have access to the programs, is it time for the provincial or municipal government to invest in accessible transit for all high school students?

When I was 14, having free transit helped me.

Students are unable to support themselves financially. While a $2 fare may seem small, growing up in a low-income family meant constantly calculating every little expense.

How can students access education if they can’t afford to get to the school they need?

One of my friends, who lived near me, did not make the cut for free TTC tickets even though she lived over a 50-minute walk away from our school. Luckily, my dad would give her and me rides to school in the morning, so I would give her the tickets I saved up from the morning for her to use in the afternoon.

Not everyone is so lucky. This is why free transit for high school students would help low-income families.

Students should not have to choose between education and other necessities. Elected officials should invest in our future.

Without access to transit, access to education becomes inequitable. A universal program would reduce the policing that young people, especially Black and Indigenous youth and young people of colour, experience on public transit.

The future of our youth depends on their ability to access education, which is often their only means of having better economic opportunities. Investment in free transit is critical for youth to take full advantage of their education and for inequalities not to persist across generations.

After all, free transit for high school students will transform them into transit users for life. The whole city and every opportunity it contains will be at their fingertips, regardless of their parents' paycheck.