Survey: Canadians turn to transit, capacity lacking

Rising gas prices are cutting into Canadians´ spending power and prompting them to consider taking public transit for some relief, according to a Canadian national survey.

But, too few trains and buses may derail a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move people from cars to transit, say the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA).

The survey, conducted by the Strategic Counsel for FCM and CUTA, shows rising gas prices have more than one in five Canadians considering switching to public transit. Responses also suggest that transit ridership could triple as a result of high gas prices.

More than 40 percent say they will consider transit if gas prices continue to rise. The survey also shows that 83 percent of those surveyed believe high gas prices are here to stay and 30 percent say that their personal financial situation has worsened in the last six months.