Public transit ridership for the first six months of 2009 showed that transit is holding its own during the economic recession. 

According to CUTA’s recently released mid-year data, the first half of 2009 saw a ridership decline of 0.5% over the same period a year earlier, but once figures are adjusted to remove the effects of the Ottawa transit strike in January and February, show an increase of 1.3%.  This performance is exceptional, given the increase in nationwide unemployment, which grew from 6% to 8% in the same period. 

If the pattern continues to the end of 2009, Canada may – in spite of the economic recession – again surpass the all time record for total transit ridership set in 2008 at 1.82 billion trips. 

For more information, contact Christopher Norris at extension 109.