Urban public transit, October 2020
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Released: 2020-12-22
Transit ridership fell drastically in March and April in response to the first wave of COVID-19. Although the number of passenger trips has climbed steadily each month since, ridership dipped slightly in October to 59.6 million from the 68.1 million recorded in September, likely in response to a second wave. On a year-over-year basis, ridership was 64.8% lower than the same month in 2019.
While several transit agencies have reduced their service offerings to adapt to lower ridership during the pandemic, all operators continue to experience financial challenges. In October, for example, total operating revenues (excluding subsidies) reported by these agencies were $133.3 million, down 63.5% from the same month last year.
Chart 1
Urban public transit operating revenue and passenger trips, monthly, 2017-2020
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.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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