Saskatoon (May 8, 2023) – The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) kicked off its Spring Summit in Saskatoon, with public transit-focused sessions today and tomorrow. The event, taking place at the Delta Downtown Saskatoon, was cohosted by Saskatoon Transit.  

“The theme of this year’s event is reimaging transit,” said Marco D’Angelo, CUTA’s President and CEO. “The past year has been one of the most challenging for Canada’s public transit sector, and it’s important that transit professionals come together to discuss how we can best serve Canada’s commuters now and in the future.” 

Since the pandemic, Canada’s transit systems have been focused on recovering ridership, which, at its lowest point dipped to less than 20 percent of pre-pandemic ridership levels. National ridership has recovered to roughly 73 percent today. Compounding the recovery has been an increase in incidents of violence and social disorder on transit systems. 

Attendees heard from experts from across North America about issues facing the industry, including safety on transit, emissions reduction, technological innovations and integrated urban mobility. 

The summit began with an opening address by Mayor Charlie Clark, a keynote presentation by Professor Ehab Diab from the University of Saskatchewan, and a welcome by Indigenous knowledge keeper and storyteller Lyndon Linklater. The summit features a strong focus on truth and reconciliation. Transit can play a critical role in supporting the economic and social well-being of Indigenous communities. 

“The transit sector is committed to working collaboratively with indigenous partners to ensure our services are respectful, responsive, and inclusive of Indigenous perspectives and values,” added D’Angelo. 

CUTA is the collective voice of the transit industry in Canada. Our goal is to build a cross-sector dialogue to ensure transit networks of tomorrow remain human-centred, climate-focused and resilient. Our annual Spring Summit features industry trends from leading executives, national and regional transit thought leaders like transit systems, private transportation operators, manufacturers and suppliers, and academics from coast to coast. 

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Media Contact: 

Alex Krause
Communications & Public Affairs Specialist
[email protected]
519-835-8345