Most Canadians consider public transit to be an essential service, according to initial results of a McGill study听
Most Canadians view public transit as an essential service and support increased provincial funding in response to current financial difficulties, according to preliminary results from a McGill-led study.听
The is underway in 10 major cities. The researchers, in McGill鈥檚 School of Urban Planning, aim to evaluate the role public transit plays in urban Canadians鈥� daily travel and their ability to live a fulfilling life without using a car.听听
鈥淎nother key goal of the survey is to understand the levels of public support for increasing public transit funding to partially address current financial difficulties,鈥� said Lancelot Rodrigue, a graduate research assistant co-leading the study. It is supervised by Professor Ahmed El-Geneidy, who is also group leader of .听听
Preliminary results from more than 21,500 Canadians indicate that:听
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97 per cent agree public transit is an essential service in their region.听
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62 per cent of those travelling primarily by car support increasing public-transit funding to maintain and increase current levels of service, compared to 79 per cent for other respondents.听
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Most want increased funding for public transit to come from provincial governments (65 per cent), while 32 per cent prefer fare increases.听听
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Respondents who use a car for fewer than half of their weekly trips favour funding transit with car-related taxes (74 per cent), but only 47 per cent of car drivers support this option.听
鈥淭he findings from this ongoing survey will be of use to policy-makers across Canada aiming to improve public-transit service and ensure its long-term financial viability,鈥� said Hisham Negm, a graduate student co-leading the study with Rodrigue.听听
Final findings from the survey will be published in a report on the in summer 2025 which will be communicated to public-transit agencies and policy-makers across Canada.听听听
This research is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 听
Residents of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa-Gatineau, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City or Halifax who are interested in participating in the Canadian Mobility Survey are invited to share their views before Nov. 1.听听
For English interviews: hisham.negm [at] mail.mcgill.ca听
For French interviews: lancelot.rodrigue [at] mail.mcgill.ca.听
