Urban public transit, May 2026
Released: 2026-07-21
Highlights
In May, Canada's urban transit systems logged just over 127 million passenger trips, 4.8% lower than in May 2025.
Data on total passenger trips and operating revenue for selected urban transit agencies are available in table 23-10-0307-01.
Ridership continues to wane
In May 2026, transit riders took an estimated 127.3 million trips on urban transit systems in Canada, down 4.8% (-6.4 million trips) from May 2025, marking the 13th straight month of year-over-year decline.
On a monthly basis, transit ridership can sometimes soften from April to May due to an increase in more active travel, such as walking and cycling. In May 2026, ridership edged down 0.4% from April, despite steady employment, return to office mandates and a 33.2% year-over-year sharp increase at the pump during the month.
Revenue stable
In May 2026, transit agency operating revenue (excluding subsidies) was up 0.7% from the same month in 2025 to reach $335.7 million.
Chart 1
Urban public transit operating revenue and passenger trips, monthly, 2019 to 2026
Note to readers
The table 23-10-0307-01—Passenger bus and urban transit statistics, by Urban transit agency—includes operating revenue and ridership at the city level for selected transit agencies. Statistics Canada appreciates the cooperation of these transit agencies in making this information available to Canadians.
Survey data are revised on a monthly basis to reflect new and updated information.
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 revenue in each province and territory. Note that the panel is adjusted annually to maintain the 75% coverage and could differ slightly from what it was in the same month the previous year.
One-time payments from secondary and post-secondary institutions for academic-year student passes are typically reported as revenue during the early fall and early winter months.
Data prior to January 2017 can be found in table 23-10-0078-01.
Random tabular adjustment
The random tabular adjustment (RTA) technique, which aims to increase the amount of data made available to users while protecting the confidentiality of respondents, was applied to the totals of the Monthly Passenger Bus and Urban Transit Survey.
Using RTA, Statistics Canada identifies sensitive data and randomly adjusts values rather than suppressing them. The size of the adjustment is calculated to protect respondent confidentiality.
The Transportation Data and Information Hub, featuring data from Statistics Canada, Transport Canada and partners, provides Canadians with online access to comprehensive statistics and indicators for 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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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