Written by Seven in ten support restoring dedicated funding; Canadians warn reduced investment will mean aging buses, longer waits and higher costs.
OTTAWA — A new national survey conducted by Nanos Research for the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) shows Canadians overwhelmingly value public transit and expect the federal government to provide stable, predictable and protected funding.
The findings come amid changes in Budget 2025, which cut $5 billion from the $30 billion Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF), originally announced in 2024 with funding allocated over ten years.
“Canada is grappling with productivity, affordability and reliability,” said Marco D’Angelo, President and CEO of CUTA. “Transit sits at the intersection of all three. When transit works, people get to work, employers can hire, housing can get built, and families keep more money in their pockets. Canadians see this as essential infrastructure, and they expect federal funding to be dependable and protected.”
What Canadians Told Us
According to the Nanos survey:
- 87% say public transit is important to quality of life in their communities
82% say it is important for the federal government to invest in transit infrastructure
83% say consistent, long-term federal funding commitments are important
84% say keeping transit fares affordable should be a federal priority
Canadians rate federal investment in transit at 8.1 out of 10 in importance
Canadians also cautioned about reducing transit funding:
- 78% believe reduced federal investment would negatively affect replacing aging buses and trains
75% say it would increase transit fares
73% say it would reduce service frequency
72% say it would increase wait times
Once informed of recent funding changes, 77% say they are concerned about reducing protected transit funding
72% support restoring the dedicated transit funding announced in 2024
“When funding is predictable, agencies can plan better, buy smarter and deliver more for the same dollar.” Said D’Angelo. “When it’s not, costs rise and confidence erodes.”
Canada’s transit fleet is aging, with the average bus age rising to 10.4 years in 2024, up from 8.3 years in 2020. When capital slows, fleets age, reliability drops, service gets cut and costs increase.
Transit investment delivers measurable economic returns. Every dollar invested in public transit generates $2.40 in total economic activity and an additional dollar in GDP. Each $1 million invested supports 15 jobs in construction, manufacturing and technology development.
“If the goal is economic growth, productivity and affordability, transit is one of the few investments that strengthens all three at once and pays for itself through the economic growth it generates,” D’Angelo added.
CUTA remains committed to working constructively with the federal government to restore protected, dedicated transit funding and to streamline program delivery so projects can be built faster and more efficiently.
About the survey
The survey was conducted by Nanos Research between January 24 and February 4, 2026, among 1,554 Canadians. It is accurate to within ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The full survey report can be found here.
Report commentary from Nano Research.
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Media Contact:
Jon MacMull
Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA)
647-215-7555
macmull@cutaactu.ca
