Premiers Meet on the Heels of Unprecedented Canadian Transit Ridership

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 18, 2013) -

A photo for this release will be available on the Canadian Press picture wire via Marketwired.

Representatives from the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) will join Premiers and delegates at the Council of the Federation meeting taking place in Niagara- on-the-Lake, Ontario from July 24-26, to discuss priority issues facing provinces from coast to coast.

The meeting couldn't be more timely, and the agenda items more relevant. Canadian public transit ridership continued its record-breaking trend in 2012, increasing by 2.8% to surpass two billion trips. The all-time high of 2.07 billion includes an additional 56 million new trips. Ridership grew in communities of all sizes across the country. Alberta experienced the highest ridership increase among Canadian provinces at 4.65%, followed closely by Saskatchewan at 4.48%, while Manitoba (3.17%) also witnessed growth above the national average.

CUTA Chair Bob Paddon and Michael Roschlau, CUTA's President & CEO, will highlight the importance for all provinces to come together to make public transit and integrated urban mobility a core priority with the federal government.

"We're taking this opportunity to liaise with provincial representatives to push transit as an economic driver within the infrastructure portfolio "says Roschlau. " It's time that all governments come together and support the ridership trend with consistent policy. Increasingly, Canadians are choosing public transit as a preferred transportation option, and more importantly, they are doing so more often than ever", he adds.

CUTA is pleased that public transit will be addressed under the Strategic Infrastructure Investment topic at next week's meeting, and continues to push for a comprehensive Canadian Transit Policy Framework and dedicated funding for transit. For public transit to keep pace with urban growth in Canada, federal, provincial and municipal governments need to establish a new policy and investment partnership.

"When a person leaves their home to work, to volunteer, to go to school, to go to the doctor or to simply socialize - they are participating in their community and investing in their economy" explains Bob Paddon. "Canadian ridership is increasing at double the rate of urban population growth. More Canadians are on board, and it's time for our leadership to join them", he adds.

Both Roschlau and Paddon will be available next week for comment.

About CUTA

CUTA is the collective and influential voice of public transportation in Canada, dedicated to being at the centre of urban mobility issues with all orders of government, and delivering the highest value to its members and the communities they serve. CUTA is the national association representing public transit systems, suppliers to the industry, government agencies, individuals and related organizations in Canada.

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