Transit Vision 2040
The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) has embarked on an initiative that involves the development of an industry vision, framing a comprehensive definition of the role of public transit in Canada for a 30-year time horizon.
Transit Vision 2040 communicates transit's contribution to quality of life, the nature of change likely to take place in our communities by 2040, the implications these changes will have on transit, and strategic directions for actions that can maximize transit's contribution to our quality of life.
- Transit Vision 2040 is about putting transit at the centre of communities through stronger government policy and decision-making frameworks, and better community planning and design.
- It is about revolutionizing service in all types of communities through expansion and innovation, so that transit systems can both encourage and serve growing demands as they keep pace with the changing face of cities and towns.
- It is about focusing on customers and accelerating the delivery of flexible, integrated transit services that meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and discriminating clientele.
- It is about greening transit to further reduce the industry's ecological footprint, improve energy efficiency and limit greenhouse gas emissions.
- It is about ensuring financial health through enhanced transit infrastructure and operating investments by all orders of government, more progressive approaches to generating revenue, and new efficiencies in service delivery.
- Finally, it is about strengthening knowledge and practice so that Canada's transit industry can more effectively respond to future opportunities and challenges.
The Vision was built with considerable input from transit industry stakeholders, transportation experts and thought leaders. This included a series of workshops with CUTA's leadership and its members; an online survey on major issues and directions for the Vision that received a tremendous response from stakeholders; consultation with groups such as the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Canadian Home Builders Association; peer review by a panel of transportation experts, and interviews with over twenty thought leaders from across Canada and from a variety of disciplines. Advice, based on concurrent visioning processes, was also received from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
This Vision takes a long-term view, but it is intended to guide concrete short-term actions by CUTA, its members and other stakeholders. The Vision has particular relevance for transit agencies and can serve as a framework for strategic planning efforts by individual systems. As well as identifying actions that CUTA can take in response to the strategic directions, the Vision will also inform the updating and recasting of CUTA's own vision.
Transit Vision 2040 - Moving Forward Vision to Action
2012 Progress Report Summary
Vision 2040 Communications Kit Available
Following the unveiling of the final report of Transit Vision 2040 in Whistler at CUTA's Annual Conference 2009, it was only natural to start spreading the word and to begin working on the process that will bring the vision to reality. In that context, the CUTA Board of Directors encourages CUTA members to endorse the Vision at their municipal councils, commissions or corporate Boards of Directors, and use Transit Vision 2040 as a framework for their own organizational strategic and business plans.
A copy of the final report; a PowerPoint presentation outlining the Vision, its major themes and strategic directions, which may be customized to include local graphic elements and branding; an Issue Paper summarizing the major elements of the report; a digital version of the bound report in PDF format; and a 5-minute video in three versions are available below.
