The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) formally sent a request to the Canadian government on Monday, March 30, asking for financial aid to support Canada’s transit providers and assistance in securing needed cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment.
“Lower ridership and higher cleaning costs are adding up fast,” Marco D’Angelo, CUTA CEO, said last week. “To keep the buses and trains running and maintain strong systems, transit needs to be included in federal relief.”
In 2018, CUTA says national farebox revenue in Canada was about C$4.3 billion (US$3.05 billion), excluding other revenues hard-hit by the pandemic such as advertising and parking.
With ridership down as much as 75 percent, farebox revenue down up to 100 percent on some systems and bridge funding needed on as much as 40 percent of systems, CUTA is requesting the Canadian government provide a two-pronged financial assist.
CUTA is seeking C$400 million (US$283.58 million) per month to help systems make up for lost revenue, as well as access to C$1.2 billion (US$850 million) to help systems maintain liquidity before revenue relief can arrive.
“Public transit’s ability to deliver vital service is deteriorating fast,” said D’Angelo. “To get essential workers to work and help people do things essential to day-to-day life, public transit needs federal support now.”
CUTA explains another growing issue is the availability of disinfectants and personal protective equipment for employees with more than 70 percent of the association’s members reporting difficulty securing cleaning supplies and protective gear. CUTA is asking for transit to be added to a priority list of sectors receiving these products in the event their supply is restricted in an emergency. It is also seeking federal support to cover these costs.
