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Tens of thousands of Alberta students who rely on public transportation to get to class could save hundreds of dollars each year through a new rebate program.

Education Minister David Eggen announced a Municipal Transit Rebate at City Hall on Monday that will see eligible students pay only the difference between the cost of a monthly public transit pass and per-student provincial transportation funding.

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In Edmonton, where a monthly bus pass for youth between the ages of six and 17 costs $73 and the provincial government provides $549 per student per year in transportation funding, eligible junior high or high school students could save more than $300 in annual transportation costs.

“That is a substantial amount of money, especially for families that are paying for two or three or five children,” said Eggen.

With five children in her home and no high school within walking distance, Amy Schnoor said she knows first-hand the kind of difference these savings will mean for families like hers who count on public transportation to get their kids to school.