Not enough buses, trains to meet new demand; the federal government must invest more money into transit!

This is the conclusion of a joint public opinion poll commissioned by CUTA and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Now a federal election is looming. What a great time to get our message across!

All political parties are aware of this survey and we need your help in making sure that every single candidate, especially in your own ridings, realizes that rising gas prices are cutting into Canadians’ spending power and prompting them to consider taking public transit for some relief. Transit ridership could triple as a result of higher gas prices. But we all know that without new funding, this kind of increased demand would overwhelm urban systems, many of which are already at or beyond capacity during peak hours. CUTA is expecting that the country’s transit systems will require $40 billion over the next five years to meet the demands and expand public transit.

What is most important is that the survey responses suggest that high gas prices will be an issue in the next federal election and this represents an unprecedented opportunity for government to help Canadians deal with high gas prices while jumpstarting a shift from cars to transit. Ultimately, Canada needs a properly funded national transit strategy. The federal government can get things rolling right now by adding a dedicated top-up to the existing federal gas tax fund for transit. The fund is in place, it works, and we all understand it.

We need your help with a grassroots campaign that will serve to ensure the growth of our public transit systems across Canada. We are asking you to contact your local federal candidates to seek their support. I hope we can count on you to help us support and protect the public transit systems in Canada!
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Not enough buses, trains to meet new demand; the federal government must invest more money into transit!

This is the conclusion of a joint public opinion poll commissioned by CUTA and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Now a federal election is looming. What a great time to get our message across!

All political parties are aware of this survey and we need your help in making sure that every single candidate, especially in your own ridings, realizes that rising gas prices are cutting... (read more)