CUTA is encouraging Canadians to get involved in its #PriorityTransit campaign ahead of the federal election.

TORONTO, June 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) unveiled national survey results today showing that 89% of respondents believe public transit helps to reduce traffic congestion, while 77% said road congestion is a problem in their city. Voters are hungry for government to take action, as shown by the 86% of respondents who said governments must invest more in public transit. The bilingual survey, conducted by Leger Marketing, polled 2,851 Canadians across the urban and suburban areas of Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City.

“More than a third of residents in urban and suburban communities across Canada depend on public transit for their daily commute,” says Marco D’Angelo, President & CEO of CUTA. “It should come as no surprise to political parties ahead of this fall’s federal election that a large majority of Canadians believe the development of transit services is crucial to improving their communities.”

The CUTA-commissioned survey comes as political parties prepare their policy platforms for the upcoming election. These platforms will focus on affordability measures and pocketbook issues as well as on strategies to help protect the environment. A full 82% of survey respondents agreed that transit helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When broken down by voting intent, agreement is strong among supporters of all three major political parties that public transit is good for the environment¹. The survey also made it clear that Canadians believe governments at the federal, provincial/territorial and municipal levels need to invest more in public transit².

“CUTA is calling on political parties to support Canadian communities by facilitating the rapid buildout of new transit infrastructure in partnership with cities, provinces and territories, and by rolling out permanent, flexible and dedicated operational funding to transit systems,” says Mr. D’Angelo. “Voters have clearly stated their support for public transit, and it is time for the government to take this commitment to the next level in Canada. Let’s work together to harness the economic, environmental and social benefits of transit to combat congestion and unlock productivity in our urban centres.”

CUTA is also calling on federal political parties to support Canadian transit systems by making the transition to greener vehicle fleets easier. More than 70% of survey respondents said modern transit infrastructure would make their community more resilient to the impacts of climate change. 

“We believe these poll findings point strongly to the need for the federal government to invest in transit operations to allow more Canadians to benefit from the vital services that transit provides,” says Mr. D’Angelo.

CUTA is encouraging Canadians to get involved in its #PriorityTransit campaign ahead of the federal election. The campaign outlines evidenced-based policy measures for increased federal funding for the development of public transit services in support of community goals.

About CUTA

The Canadian Urban Transit Association (cutaactu.ca) is the collective and influential voice of public transportation in Canada. CUTA’s membership includes the vast majority of Canadian transit systems, private transport operators and transit thought leaders from across the country. CUTA is uniquely positioned to work with all levels of government to provide industry insights on key transit policy issues affecting Canadians and their communities.

For more information, please contact:
Chad Jeudy-Hugo
Director, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications
514-207-7072
Jeudy-hugo@cutaactu.ca

¹ Liberal support for this statement was at 92%, with Conservative support at 83%, and NDP support at 94%.
² Support for this statement among those 18-34 years old was 81%,  80% among those 35-54 years old, and 85% among those over 55.