Transit plays a crucial role in shaping livable cities, connecting people to jobs, recreation, and each other. As urban populations grow, the need for reliable transit networks becomes increasingly important to reduce congestion, lower emissions, and improve mobility, connectivity, and accessibility.
Public transit refers to a network of shared transportation services. In the Western world, these services are typically government run and may include modes such as buses, trams, trains, and ferries. Today, most cities make an effort to make transit a convenient and appealing option so that people choose it over driving, as in doing so they can reduce congestion and pollution from car exhaust. However, for some people, such as those who cannot drive, public transit is an absolute necessity.
When planning cities, housing and transportation are highly interconnected. In particular, public transit and high-density land uses reinforce each other, while low-density neighbourhoods tend to be highly car-centric. This is particularly evident in urban areas such as metro Vancouver, whose skyline is defined by clusters of skyscrapers centred around rapid transit stations.
Transit advocates such as Jarrett Walker argue that transit service planning is fundamentally a trade-off between coverage and ridership. Cities that choose to maximize transit coverage prioritize ensuring that everyone lives within a short distance of transit service, at the expense of the quality of transit service available. On the other hand, cities that choose to maximize ridership will operate frequent and direct service along corridors where demand warrants it, but it may not be accessible to all residents. Residents often demand more frequent transit service, as transit becomes a viable alternative to the car only when it is frequent enough that users are not required to plan their activities around a schedule.
Canadian cities, similarly to their North American counterparts, are shifting away from the coverage model towards the ridership model. In 2021, Edmonton completed a full redesign of its bus network, creating a direct and high-frequency network of routes in its inner-city where ridership is highest, and switching low-ridership suburbs to on-demand shuttle service. This redesign was highly successful in increasing transit ridership. At a time when most North American agencies struggled with low ridership in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edmonton’s transit ridership shot past pre-COVID levels as early as 2023. Other cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal, which already have frequent and direct grid-oriented bus service, have some of the highest ridership in North America. Cities such as Calgary are working toward implementing their own primary transit network of direct and frequent routes.
In Canadian cities, the success of transit systems is generally measured through the lens of ridership and mode share. High ridership indicates that transit is a reliable, convenient, and attractive option for residents. Mode share, the proportion of trips taken by public transit, demonstrates its competitiveness against private vehicles.
Canadian cities and their transit agencies generally set mode share targets as part of their long-term transportation planning. They often aim for a reduction in motor vehicle trips, and thus these targets are sometimes set for transit, walking, and bike trips combined. The following table shows mode share targets for select major Canadian cities:
Transit mode share targets for select Canadian cities
Municipalities are the frontline providers of public transit and are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their transit agencies. They are also responsible for integrating future public transit proposals within their municipal transportation plans. However, local governments in Canada are unable to run deficits and face revenue shortfalls as fares alone are not sufficient to cover the cost of service operation. Thus, the support of provincial and federal levels of government is crucial.
Provincial responsibilities serve an intermediary role between the municipal and federal levels of government, coordinating federal funds and providing additional financial resources. They run regional transit agencies across municipal boundaries, such as Ontario’s GO Transit, which connects cities across the Greater Toronto Area. Provinces also enable municipalities to implement transit-related policy initiatives, such as tolling. One example is the removal of bridge tolls in the Metro Vancouver region by BC’s provincial government in 2017.
The federal government funds transit projects through national programs and funding intiatives. These contributions are often targeted towards the construction of major new infrastructure projects. One example is the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund launched by the Trudeau Liberal government, which commits $30 billion over the next ten years to fund the construction of new transit projects.
Federally, the Liberal Party has made investment in new public transit projects a priority during its time in power. For the aforementioned Public Transit Infrastructure Fund, the Liberals have also attached rules requiring municipalities unlock housing supply near transit in order to access the funding by removing parking minimums and increasing allowable density near transit hubs. It has also contributed to funding the construction of new transit lines across the country, such as the Green Line in Calgary, the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, and the Ontario Line in Toronto.