Dan Hendry has a simple but powerful model to transform public transportation and it starts with training youth.

By targeting grade school students in certain age groups, the City of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, has seen high school ridership increase from 28,000 to 600,000 student riders annually.

The underlying philosophy in the development of this project has been the idea, that:

with encouragement, mastery of transit tools, true life experience and a bus pass in hand students will gain independence and confidence.

The Board of Education and Kingston Transit worked together to provide bus education, etiquette, safety, benefits and features such as loading the bike rack, while pointing out the environmental benefits to taking a bus over a car. The goal is to bring a sense of confidence and even understanding that riding the bus is “good for all of us”. The goal is for students to take this confidence they have developed in themselves to use the bus — now, and anywhere in the future their lives might take them.

Follow Dan on Twitter @SustainableDan

About Dan:

Dan strives toward promoting sustainable initiatives for the Limestone District School Board, and is the manager of community based learning & innovation at St. Lawrence College. His concern for the environment is what drives him to take initiative in promoting sustainable solutions within the Kingston community. He continues to engage in initiatives that promote positive sustainable change throughout the Kingston community. His combined interest in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, student mentorship, and community have been well integrated into his personal, academic, and professional experiences. Dan is continuously seeking new opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals who engage in sustainable & innovative initiatives within the community. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx