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.
The Canadian Mobility Survey is underway in 10 major cities. The researchers, in McGill's School of Urban Planning, aim to evaluate the role public transit plays in urban Canadians' daily travel and their ability to live a fulfilling life without using a car.
"Another key goal of the survey is to understand the levels of public support for increasing public transit funding to partially address current financial difficulties," 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 Transportation Research at McGill (TRAM).
Preliminary results from more than 21,500 Canadians indicate that:
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97 per cent agree public transit is an essential service in their region.
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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.
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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.
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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.
"The 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," said Hisham Negm, a graduate student co-leading the study with Rodrigue.
Final findings from the survey will be published in a report on the TRAM website in summer 2025 which will be communicated to public-transit agencies and policy-makers across Canada.
This research is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
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.
