Urban public transit, August 2020
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Released: 2020-10-29
In August, the country's bus, train and subway operators reported 56.1 million passenger trips, continuing the steady increase observed each month since the low of 24.9 million trips in April. However, on a year-over-year basis, the number of transit passengers has remained much lower since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and August was no exception, with passenger trips down 61.6% from August 2019.
With fewer riders, the operating revenues (excluding subsidies) of transit agencies were $124.3 million in August, down 63.7% from the previous year. As ridership remained well below pre-pandemic levels, this created financial challenges, as agencies must provide similar service levels with fewer riders on board to allow for distancing.
With municipal budgets facing shortfalls because of COVID-19, the Canadian Urban Transit Association is concerned about the cost of keeping transit running with fewer passengers. While September should see additional ridership with many students returning to school and more workplaces reopening, there could be some uncertainty as public health agencies face a COVID-19 resurgence.
Chart 1
Urban public transit operating revenue and passenger trips
Note to readers
Data for the most recent quarter are subject to revision. The data in this release are not seasonally adjusted.
This survey collects data on operating revenue (excluding subsidies) and the number of passenger trips from a panel of urban transit companies that represents at least 75% of revenues in each province and territory. Users should note that the panel is adjusted annually to maintain the 75% coverage and could differ slightly from what it was in the same month a year earlier.
Caution should also be used when comparing values prior to January 2017 with more recent values, as the number of sampled companies changed significantly. Data prior to January 2017 can be found in Table 23-10-0078-01.
The Transportation Data and Information Hub, a web portal developed jointly by Statistics Canada and Transport Canada, provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and measures on the country's transportation sector.
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