Beyond the City Limits: Funding design and patterns of federal investment in public transit Foundations for the Future of Rural Brandon, MB September 2025 Breen, Gibson, Main, Mastej Outline 1) Importance of public transit 2) Public transit in rural communities 3) Research Goal & Methods 4) Results  Federal funding of transit  Patterns of transit investment 5) Discussion 6) Conclusions & Recommendations Public Transit: Importance Individuals Communities Public Transit: In Rural Canada  Limited available literature  Multi-jurisdictional responsibilities  Rural specific challenges – including high costs and limited capacity  “Rural” - highly generalized and treated as homogenous  Uneven knowledge – skews to urban-adjacent communities & select regions  Ridership – privilege and disadvantage  Mode – tradition and innovation Goal & Methods Has the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (continued to) shift patterns of federal funding of rural transit? Basic Analysis • Region • Primary Recipient Type • Number of Projects • Funding Totals Case Analysis • Project Type • Existing or New System • Area Served • Population Served 2023 All Program Analysis & Comparison 2025 Rural Transit Solutions Fund Update Public Transit: Federal Funding Program • • Building Details • Canada Fund • Rural Considerations • • Investing in • Details Canada • Infrastructure • Program Rural Considerations • • Modernizing Details • Transportation Rural Considerations • • Public Transit • Details • Infrastructure Fund Rural Transit Solutions Fund Rural Considerations • • Details • Rural Considerations • • 2007-2014, $8.8 billion Infrastructure related to stronger economy, cleaner environment, prosperous communities 2/3 dedicated to major infrastructure, including public transit Cost-shared with a maximum federal contribution of 50% One third earmarked for communities under 100,000 2020 – current, $33 billion Assist with environmental and climate goals, build strong communities, and ensure access to services Dedicated Public Transit stream (capacity/quality/access) Dedicated Rural and Northern Communities stream - excluded transit projects “Rural and northern” determined by Provinces and Territories, but cannot exceed 100,000 2017 – 2020, $77 million Subset of Investing in Canada Plan Trade and Transportation Programs Rural and northern communities stream – no definition provided 2016 – 2019, $3.4 billion Part of the Investing in Canada Plan Acceleration of municipal investments in rehabilitation of transit systems, new public transit capital projects, planning and studies for creating new systems No dedicated rural funding 2021 – current, $250 million Transit specific, including planning, design, and capital projects that expand or modernize transit Targets development of transit in rural and remote communities, 10% reserved for Indigenous Applicants self-define as rural and must offer rationale for inclusion as ‘rural’ in the application Investment: Basic Analysis ON % of funds by project #s 25% of Building Canada Fund 71% of Investing in Canada 100% of Modernizing Transportation 56% of Public Transit Infrastructure 14% of RTSF • • Province / Territory Ontario Quebec (QC) Alberta (AB) Manitoba (MB) British Columbia Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador Saskatchewan New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Total Project Count 908 308 86 73 69 44 37 Project Funds (in millions of $) 10,223.9 3,454.6 2,280.9 269.1 2,147.7 102.3 20.2 17 13 10 8 4 0 37.9 14.8 6.6 11.7 0.4 0 1577 18,570.3 Funds per person $719 $406 $429 $535 $200 $33 $106 $19 $40 $43 $10 $291 $0 • • • • • • • • • % of projects by Applicant Type Local gov. 75% Transportation Authority 20% Crown Corporation 2.2% Gov. Ministry 1.3% Non-Profit 1.2% First Nations 0.7% Investment: Case Analysis Census Rural Small Population Centres Medium Population Centres % of Projects Large Urban Population Centres Undefined Facilities Infrastructure Study Technology Vehicles - New Vehicles - Upgrade /Replace 1% 13% 16% 69% 1% % of Projects 26.3% 24.0% 9.1% 14.5% 10.5% 15.6% Community % of Projects 75.5% Remote Community Inter-Community Undefined 0.0% 23.4% 1.1% 98.5% Existing Systems Fixed Route % of Projects 61% Flex Route On Demand Combined Multimodal Active Transportation Unknown <1% 4% 10% 8% 12% 4% Investment: Rural Transit Solutions Fund Project Count Nova Scotia Alberta Ontario Saskatchewan Manitoba British Columbia New Brunswick Quebec Northwest Territories Nunavut Prince Edward Island Newfoundland and Labrador Yukon Total 35 19 18 15 12 9 8 8 3 2 2 1 1 133 Project Funds (millions $) $9.4 $18.9 $3.9 $7.1 $4.7 $1.8 $3.1 $0.7 $0.2 $0.2 $0.6 $0.2 $3.0 $53.9 • • • • • • % of projects by Applicant Type Local gov. 43% Non-Profit 33% First Nations 20% Transportation Authority 2% Crown Corporation 2% Gov. Ministry 0% Investment: Rural Transit Solutions Fund Census Rural % of Projects Small Population Centres Medium Population Centres Large Urban Population Centres Facilities Infrastructure Study Technology Vehicles - New % of Projects Vehicles - Upgrade /Replace Community Remote Community 18% 75% Inter-Community 5% 2% 17% 1% 82% 64% Existing Systems % of Projects 8% 0% 28% 2% 59% 3% Fixed Route Flex Route On Demand % of Projects Combined Multimodal Active Transportation Unknown 12% 2% 53% 8% 3% 0% 23% Discussion Has rural Canada been served by Federal Transit funding?  No  Rural has been chronically under-represented in federal funding Is the RTSF shifting patterns of Federal Transit funding?  Yes  Changes in patterns of regional and rural representation Is the RSTF meeting its goals?  To some degree, issues remain  Benefits some but not others  Overlooks need for consistent, predictable, operational funds  Limited scale Conclusions & Recommendations 1. Continue and increase dedicated funding for rural transit 2. Revisit eligible funding expenses 3. Revisit program’s place-based flexibility 4. Future research to monitor and evaluate funded projects Thank you Questions? Beyond the City Limits: Analysis of Federal Funding of Public Transit in Rural Canada Not In Service: A Typology of Barriers Facing Rural Transit Systems.