I have followed along with transit growth and changes for as many years as I can remember. Probably 30+ years. But the problem I am seeing is that in some areas transit planning, growth and ridership are not where they need to be.
So what does that mean? Well, it means I am going to create a group, I am going to create a website, and a Facebook group. I am going to ask for volunteers to assist me, and I am going to discuss with people how to improve services. Find out what people need, especially in underserved areas. Currently, there are transit advocacy groups in Toronto and Vancouver, but they primarily focus on Toronto or Vancouver. My area of focus is simple. I want to focus on connecting all of Canada. My focus may be grand, but there is no reason why all 3 levels of Government cannot come together to help connect regions to some form of transit service.
The motivation for this is the demise of Greyhound in 2018 in Western Canada, followed by its collapse across the rest of the country during the pandemic. Not only that, but VIA Rail had significantly better service across Canada many years ago than it does currently. In the late 1970’s there were over 150 scheduled trains per week were in operation, including transcontinental services, regional trains, and corridor services. In 1981, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s government endorsed Minister of Transport Jean-Luc Pépin’s plan which slashed Via’s budget, leading to a 40 percent reduction in the company’s operations. Frequently sold-out trains such as the Super Continental and the popular Atlantic were discontinued. The retrenchment of the former reduced Via to operating only one transcontinental train, The Canadian.
Not only did VIA cut service in many areas and reduce train service on select routes, but they are also running such old trains that reliability is a problem. Frequent breakdowns, plumbing issues, heating problems, and other general problems on routes like the Canadian. The constant cutbacks to VIA service, as well as always being second to freight traffic on the rails it uses, as VIA does not own any track, make our rail system really bad in comparison to other countries. Since Greyhound shut down, other companies have stepped in to replace certain routes and corridors but the service is lacking. It is not the same as it used to be, and because of that it can be a lot more expensive.
Youtuber Miles Taylor, who runs Miles in Transit, recently did a cross-Canada trip with his girlfriend Aleena. It was a 7-day journey leaving Victoria and travelling to St John’s, Newfoundland by bus or ferry. This trip exposed several issues with transit in this country, including a very roundabout bus service from Calgary to Regina. Instead of a straight shot across Highway 1, the bus goes to Edmonton and Saskatoon before heading to Regina. The drive from Calgary to Regina can be done in 7.5 hours. By bus that can slow down to maybe 8.5 with stops. Going to Edmonton and Saskatoon adds around 3.5 hours to the trip. But with major stops in Edmonton and Saskatoon, that probably becomes a 12-hour trip. Another flaw he exposed was the once-a-week, yes, once-a-week, trip from Regina to Winnipeg. Other flaws in that plan included those in Quebec. Taking the Orleans express bus as close as you can get to New Brunswick, then having to walk, I believe it was about 20 or 30 minutes to get into New Brunswick. Also, at that point, you have to find accommodation for the night.
Now I know that a lot of people will not travel from one end of Canada to the other, but even just trying to go from Calgary to places like Swift Current, Moose Jaw, and Brandon. That can be a hard connection to make. Situations like that encourage people to drive.
My goal with this group is to close gaps so people who cannot drive can get to major cities for appointments or events. Also, I am going to be working with transit agencies to better connect people in areas they serve. For example, in Durham Region, there has been a lot of growth, but transit expansion has not happened fast enough. In fact, there was a potential that new residential developments may not see transit service for 2 more years, but after some local councillors got involved, there will be transit service coming in 2026. In one area, residents were having to walk up to 2km to catch a bus alongside a busy road with no sidewalks. The road frequently has cars driving well over 80km/h, and with no sidewalk and limited streetlights, that can be a safety issue. Another area, Winnipeg, recently did a major bus network redesign, but it was met with a lot of mixed results, including longer trip times, more transfers, less frequent service on select routes, and no late night service, with many routes ending between 10 and 11 pm, making it hard for University students to get home from late classes, or retail workers that do not finish work until 10 pm.
Over the next several months, I will be creating my new website and Facebook page. I will be posting in transit groups and on CPTDB to try to get more information about issues in different areas. I will be looking for volunteers who will be willing to advocate publicly in areas where I am not. My goal is that by September, I will be fully operational and ready to help Canada move into a more transit-friendly country. I do not want to be like some areas of the US where funding for transit has dried up, and service cuts have had to be implemented, or complete transit lines cancelled, such as the Northstar line in Minnesota that shut down on January 4, 2026 and was replaced by a bus network starting on January 5.
I truly believe we deserve better local and regional, and intercontinental transit services. There needs to be a voice to advocate for that, and I as well as my future team, will be that voice. We will bring issues up to each level of government to help fund better transit service.