Transport committee  You mean in terms of the intercity bus that was vacated by the previous company operating?

Transport committee  Thank you. It was definitely a major challenge. The public transit companies in Quebec and Canada are delighted to be able to build more infrastructure and to purchase the zero-emission vehicles, but the operating expenses for these vehicles are very high and it's difficult to d

Transport committee  Thanks for the question. Indeed, there is. Many of our members are providing on-demand service. In areas where there's a rural area or a new suburb, our local transit systems have been quite creative at sometimes reaching outside their service area to provide links to jobs. For

Transport committee  I will think outside the box with you for a moment on the question. Thank you for it. We know that with funding, innovation can occur, so it's looking at different pilots to meet the needs of different regions. For example, the distances between towns in Atlantic Canada are a l

Transport committee  Thanks for the question. I appreciate that. Certainly, I'm very proud of our member, BC Transit, and the great work it's been doing across the province to keep the whole province moving—outside the Lower Mainland, of course, which is run by TransLink. We've been very pleased wi

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon everyone. It's great to be here. On behalf of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and our members, I'd like to thank the chair. I'd like to thank the members of the committee for inviting me to speak about Canadians' travel needs. Her

Transport committee  On behalf of my members, I will say that achieving a permanent transit fund has been a goal for a long time. We're very happy we did that. I am glad there is a date in the calendar, 2026. Certainly, that is also when ICIP expires. Where I would like to continue the work of our

Transport committee  Certainly the role of the federal government in supporting capital, I think, is agreed upon. In terms of operational funding, so far our members and the federal government are, I think, aligned quite well in seeing us through COVID-19 to the end of the pandemic. After that, I t

Transport committee  Thanks for the question. It's good to see you. In terms of ridership, at the lowest point we were down about 80%, I would say, with a mix of bus holding steady but commuter rail really seeing the biggest drop. There was a rebuilding of ridership during the summer and fall of 202

Transport committee  One thing we've been able to avoid is a downward spiral, and that has been important. It has been by having essential workers continue to use our service. As well, even before there was a safe restart agreement, our transit agencies across the country went out on a limb to ensu

Transport committee  It is very important. Last year all transit systems were in the same boat, if you will, meaning that they needed operating funding, and through safe restart there was a series of bilateral agreements between each province and the federal government. Each has a different expiratio

Transport committee  I'm sorry, that's my fault. I'll start again. The federal government has been negotiating with Quebec for a long time to find the best way to deliver programs. So it's very important that small communities have access to the same funds as big cities. We would have no problem wi

Transport committee  We focused on travel by bus or train, for example, but not air travel. However, this is a very interesting question. We are in discussions with Infrastructure Canada to determine the rules that will govern the $250-million fund announced for small communities. I don't know if a

Transport committee  Thank you for the question. For people who live too far from work or school and can't walk or bike to work or school, but whose income is too low to own a car, public transit is the only mobility option. Public transit is essential for many seniors, people with disabilities, and

Transport committee  Before the COVID-19 pandemic, public transit reduced pollutant emissions by more than 14 million tonnes a year. This was equivalent to emissions from three million cars. Public transit also helps reduce urban congestion and sprawl. I'll now give the floor to the other witnesses