Toronto/CMEDIA: More than $379.5 million is being provided by the Ontario government to help 107 municipalities operate and improve local transit, a news release reported.
It is through the gas tax program that the funding is being delivered and can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.
“Public transit is a key driver of economic growth in Ontario…more people return to public transit…funding they need to accommodate growing ridership, while ensuring they can continue to deliver safe and reliable transit service for people in their communities.” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation said in a news release.
The number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year forms the criteria for funding for the gas tax program.
Public transit services supporting municipalities in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenue collected.
But this year’s gas tax program includes one-time additional funding of $80 million as a compensation for reduced gas sales due to ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, to facilitate municipalities to continue to support their transit systems.
“We are very thankful for the funding that will help local transit systems continue to operate and provide high levels of service to the more than one million Ontarians who rely on transit every day,” said Kelly Paleczny, Chair of the Ontario Public Transit Association.
#MunicipalPublicTransit; #Ontario; #gastaxprogram
