Public Transportation Not Just an Urban Concern

January 20, 2015 - Public Transportation is generally viewed as an “urban” issue[1]. However, Northern Ontario largely consists of small communities, with only five cities (Greater Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins) having a population above 30,000[2]. Travel, regardless of the size of the community, is an essential aspect of life. Individuals must travel to access various activities such as:

• basic food and clothing
• health or medical service
• education or employment (commuting)
• public services, mail, etc.
• social or recreational[3]

Basic mobility for all individuals should be considered a right. However, many individual are excluded from accessing basic needs because of the lack transportation options available. This inability results in social exclusion or isolation, which has harmful impacts on an individual’s well-being as well as that of the community. Northern Ontarians are particular vulnerable to social exclusion because of their remote location, harsh climate and lack of transportation options. 

Most small and rural communities have an automobile dominated culture[4], consequently, it is often assumed by local government and decision makers that all rural residents have access to a personal automobile[5]. However, this is simply not the case. Rural areas have a large proportion of elderly people. According to Transport Canada, the elderly are the largest users of public transportation as many older individuals can no longer or choose not to drive[6]. The proportion of elderly in rural areas is expected to continue to grow as the population of individuals aged 65 and over increases. Meanwhile, the proportion of young people in rural areas is declining as they are overcoming transportation barriers and lack of employment by moving to urban areas[7].

It is difficult to justify a transportation system for small or rural communities. Critics argue that the small populations provide insufficient ridership to warrant and fund a public transit system. Funding and operating a public transportation system is largely the responsibility of municipal governments[8]. However, rural communities lack the resources required. A small tax base results in limited finances and the lack of staff are too busy with day-to-day operations to properly manage a transit system.  The provincial and federal governments do provide funding programs, however; the obligation remains in the hands of the municipal government to find, prepare and submit the application[9].  

Currently, small or rural public transportation methods include “piggybacking” on an existing system of a nearby urban area. This approach was applied for rural communities near Ottawa, however; this only applies to suburban communities, which is not the case for most of Northern Ontario. Another common practice is to offer a specialized transportation service for a small group of individuals who the decision-makers deem to be in need, such as people living with a physical disability. This specialized service often consists of a small number of cars or vans and are often operated by non-profits or charitable organizations with a high proportion of workers being volunteers[10].  Such a service ignores the needs of other individuals and families with mobility issues[11].  

Public Transit in small or rural communities requires greater collaboration between various stakeholders (municipal government, non-profit organizations, private companies) in order to fund and efficiently operate the service. A rural system uses a variety of transport vehicles from vans to small or even large buses. In County of Kings, Nova Scotia, buses offer service on five routes, six days a week between five different rural communities, meanwhile, in Hinton, Alberta the service uses vans[12]. A conventional public transportation model operating a fixed schedule and routes does not always meet the travel demands of rural residents and so various transportation approaches may be used. Many small communities operate a “hybrid” service, meaning a transportation mode that serves multiple purposes. For example; allowing residents to take advantage of empty seats on schools buses or taxis that pick up other passengers during a fare[13]. Local government should come along side services already provided in their communities such as specialized service operated by a non-profit or charitable organizations rather than entirely creating a new municipal service. Local government can help expand the specialize service to remove strict passenger eligibility by providing additional funding for day to day operations, new vehicles and support volunteer enthusiasm[14]       

The need and effectiveness of public transportation is difficult to quantify as its significance is more than simply the number of riders or a balanced budget. Public transportation for small and rural communities have numerous benefits such as improving the social well-being of residents, reducing automobile dependency (and decreasing its associated environmental impacts) and improving the local economy. Public transportation or transportation alternatives  

• reduce the need for social programs by fulfilling an individual requirements to access basic needs, health care services and recreational activities
• help retain employers and residents by providing access to isolated resource employers such as mills, mines and agri-business
• provide families with an attractive location to raise their children outside of a large urban setting[15]

Despite the challenges, public transportation can remove some of the restrictions of social inclusion that many Northern Ontarians currently endure. Improving the ease in which individuals, regardless of location, age or health can travel to participate in society greatly reduces the region dependency for social assistances.

Authored by Julien Bonin, researcher with Northern Policy Institute

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