Public transit: driving change

Though most residents of Quebec's largest municipalities have access to public transit, the number of vehicles on our roads continues to climb, along with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, road congestion, transportation costs and parking problems.

The pandemic caused a decline in public transit ridership, which had a ripple effect not only on the services offered, but also on traffic congestion and other mobility issues that affect everyone. Even several years later, and with the resumption of public transit use, these challenges persist and are costing us dearly.

The lack of public transportation services in certain regions is part of the problem, as is a lack of funding. To address the proliferation of vehicles on our roads, we need frequent, reliable, expanded and affordable public transit services.

Public transit services benefit all citizens, not just the people who use it. It reduces traffic congestion, contributes to cleaner air and quieter streets, and allows people of all income levels to travel between their homes, workplaces, schools, and essential services. It generates local jobs and contributes to a stronger economy. For public transit users, it contributes to a more active lifestyle by encouraging them to walk or cycle to the bus stop or metro station. It allows them to avoid the stress experienced by a vast majority of motorists in large urban centres.

The benefits of public transportation outweigh the costs. It should therefore be seen as an investment, not an expense.

Équiterre encourages all those who live in Quebec’s major urban centres to opt for public transportation as a primary means of getting around.

• The more we use public transit, the fewer cars there are on the roads and therefore less congestion.
• With more people in public transit, there’s more revenue for the transportation companies to invest in their services.*
• Investment in services could translate to more buses and trains, more frequently, earlier in the morning and later in the evening in our neighbourhoods.
• So less congestion, shorter wait times, and more satisfied public transit users!

(*) There also needs to be more funding from various levels of government.

And if more people are on buses and metros, there is more space on the roads for those who have no other options than using a car (such as those with reduced mobility).

Équiterre has been working for many years to encourage people to use a Transportation Cocktail, which means choosing the right mode of transportation at the right time, based on your needs.

By encouraging public transportation usage and advocating for adequate funding for public transit, we’re working towards reliable, frequent, expanded and affordable public transportation services, in order to ultimately reduce single-occupant car travel.

Our goals are to:

• Raise awareness about the socioeconomic benefits of public transit;
• Foster a positive perception about public transit to encourage more sustainable transportation habits;

• Get more people to use public transportation more often;

• Raise awareness and mobilize representatives of organizations and businesses to get them to encourage public transit usage within their organizations

• Pressure various levels of government to increase funding for public transit.

Our report on public transit funding highlighted the opportunities available to the federal government to help improve the service offering. Nearly five thousand citizens took action with us, to relay our demands to the government.