A pilot project which provided students from certain areas attending certain high schools in the city with a city transit pass has been expanded for all high school students.

“There’s been a lot of inquiries about it,” Mark Hill, a Department of Education spokesman, said Monday, explaining why the program was broadened.

While the program is voluntary and offers transit passes that can be used on the city bus system anytime, those who register are not eligible to use the conventional school bus system.

Hill stressed that while it’s been expanded for the 2014/2015 school year, it’s still in the pilot stage.

“There’s advantages to it,” he said.

He pointed out it can mean better access to after-school activities, part-time jobs, the Canada Games Centre or other facilities students may frequent outside of school hours.

In addition, as it’s noted on the department’s website:

“Increased use of public transit will also contribute to community sustainability in Whitehorse. In the longer term, students will become more familiar and comfortable riding public transit both in Whitehorse and in other communities where post-secondary studies or work opportunities may take them in the future.”

Last year, students who lived in Porter Creek, Crestview or neighbourhoods along Hamilton Boulevard and were attending F.H. Collins or Vanier Catholic Secondary Schools could receive a free transit pass provided they opted out of the school bus service.

That program was deemed a success and, given the high level of interest, made available to all high school students this year.

The Department of Education pays the city for the passes at a discounted rate for buying in bulk, Hill explained.

He said figures on how much the department is paying for the passes this year aren’t available yet.

While students were to register for bus service (be it school bus or city transit) prior to the beginning of the school year starting this week, Hill said there are still well over 100 who need to, but haven’t, registered for bus service.

The department has been busy dealing with the “wrinkles” that seem to come up each year during the first week of school.

Examples are kids who haven’t been registered waiting for buses to come, and where drivers may not realize there are students to pick up.

Hill said he expects to have a better idea on the number of students using school and city buses in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, at Yukon College, full-time students are once again able to use their student ID cards to access the city’s transit system.

College spokesman Michael Vernon confirmed that the pilot project, which started in 2012 through a deal inked between the college, student union and city, has been renewed for another year.

The city provides a discount on the passes, with each of the 550 student’s passes costing $15.50 per month. The student union and college split the passes’ costs.

Vernon said the student fees increase (by less than two per cent) last February was not related to the transit program, but rather to overall cost boosts.

Vernon also noted that talks with the city about possible transit options for part-time students and staff at the college are ongoing.

The city’s transit department has been working to boost ridership over the last few years as the city moves forward with its sustainability plans.

The service saw a massive overhaul that moved it to a loop system running on at least an hourly basis, expanded evening service, with buses running until 10:20 p.m. most nights to accommodate many who work downtown until 10 p.m., and the bus pass program for local schools.

The city’s efforts appear to be working.

In its most recent report to city council, the transit department compared numbers for April, May and June of 2013 to the same months this year.

It shows there were 52,245 rides taken in April compared to 42,815 in April 2013.

May saw 50,074 compared to 42,815 in May 2013.

Finally, there were 47,683 trips taken on city buses in June compared to 39,464 in the same month a year before.