The green light was given for Penetanguishene seniors aged 65-plus to ride for free on transit recently, and starting Aug. 17 the Mid-Pen Transit line with Midland will become fully accessible.
A new ‘Seniors Free Transit Card’ will be required for rides, replacing current transit cards. Town staff is encouraging seniors to obtain their new cards on Aug. 15 and 16 prior to launch of the program, but said that cards can still be obtained after program launch as well.
“The intention of the program is to have seniors stay active in their community and not feel trapped at home," said Mayor Doug Rawson. "We are excited to offer this new service to our seniors and hope that it will benefit them greatly.”
The new transit cards will only be available at Penetanguishene Town Hall, located at 10 Robert St. W..
Two forms of identification will be required to obtain the free senior’s transit card: photo identification on a passport, driver’s license, or green health card; and proof of residency in Penetanguishene on a bill with name and address.
Seniors who have an existing transit card with paid rides remaining on it are asked to bring that as well for a refund; this option will only be available until Oct. 27, after which no refunds will be provided.
Council made the announcement following a resolution in May where public demand for free seniors transit similar to Midland’s service was put in motion as a pilot project, bypassing a waiting period on a federal grant to start the program.
As Midland was a recipient of the New Horizons grant, their resident seniors were able to take advantage of free transit over the past year; however, Penetanguishene did not receive the same grant.
“We heard loud and clear from our seniors in our community how important this was to them,” Rawson told MidlandToday regarding initial conversations held during the 2023 budget open house, as well as several in-chamber deputations and questions from the public.
“We listened, and we followed up – I would say fairly quickly – and made this adjustment happen to meet the needs of our community and those that felt that this was an important component.
“I’m proud of our council, for listening, getting the feedback from our staff, and making it happen.”
Mid-Pen Transit operates Monday through Saturday, with Penetanguishene and Midland intersecting at three locations on their respective lines: at Georgian Bay General Hospital, the Huronia Medical Centre Bus Shelter, and at the Huronia Mall all in Midland.
Tech-savvy patrons can access Mid-Pen Transit route information through the official Transit phone app which provides accurate real-time location, times of arrival, and connectivity through the region.
Further information on Mid-Pen Transit, including route schedules, is available on the transit page of the Penetanguishene web site.