Transit keeps Canadians moving

Ongoing financial support

The pandemic caused steep drops in ridership. And because transit fares covered more than half the cost of operating costs, transit systems suffered large revenue declines. For every 10% drop in ridership, transit systems lose $470 million in revenue. Ridership is down about 70% from pre-Covid levels. Last year, the federal and provincial governments delivered an unprecedented $4.6 billion in to keep transit moving. But these funds are expiring.

To prevent steep service cuts, the Canadian Urban Transit Association asks every party to continue financial support. People who live too far from work or school to walk or cycle, but whose income is too low to drive deserve access to employment or education. Many seniors and people living with disabilities also rely on transit for essential activities.

If service is reduced, wait times will increase. This will push more riders away from transit, leading to further revenue declines. It will also make traffic worse, as we know from 2020 that about 75% of people who left transit but still travelled to work took a car.

Bus

Ongoing financial support

Public transit needs ongoing financial support to keep service levels high and prevent traffic getting worse.

Why transit needs extended operating support

Transit systems need ongoing operating support from all levels of government to deal with the largest, most sustained decline in ridership ever. Check out our new Issue Paper on the need for ongoing transit operating support to prevent an unequal and car-based recovery from Covid-19.

Read the Issue Paper here
82% think governments' support for transit should continue