With City Council set to debate the Transit funding gap — including $20.4 million for the Ride Transit program and $5.6 million for general operations — as part of its Fall Supplemental Budget Adjustment, we wanted to share our perspective and recommendations on how make up this shortfall. We encourage anyone who cares about this issue to reach out to their city councillor and make your voice heard.
The Edmonton Transit Service is vital to the way the City moves, grows, and thrives in the 21st century. In part because Council has consistently recognized and acted on this fact, our transit system has emerged from unprecedented challenges as one of the most robust systems in the country, showing one of the quickest recoveries from pandemic ridership dips in North America, even reaching record ridership numbers consistently through 2024.
It’s essential to the future of the system and our city that we continue to prioritize transit as a core service, and find ways to cover the existing funding gap over the next two years in ways that do not impact transit’s ability to safely, cheaply and efficiently move tens of thousands of Edmontonians around the city every day.
To that end, we are requesting that Council address the need for funding in two core ways. First, that they make up the $20.4 million shortfall in the Ride Transit Program’s funding with money from the LRT reserve. The fact that this program’s usage has vastly exceeded expectations speaks not only to the stark financial challenges facing Edmontonians, but to transit’s essential role in helping to manage and minimize these hardships; we feel that bridging this program until an appropriate funding arrangement with the province can be found will continue to give our most vulnerable residents affordable access without affecting the service they rely on.
We ask that council make up the remaining $5.6 million funding gap for general operations through extending the tax levy. Though we do not make this ask lightly, given the city’s financial position, the reality is that transit is essential to not just our future goals of sustainable growth, but to ensuring that our city maximizes the potential of our existing investments in housing, climate adaptation, and infrastructure — including substantial investments in transit that would be wasted if we do not follow through on our established plans. It’s crucial that we maintain a sustainable and predictable level of funding to ensure transit will continue to serve the needs of all Edmontonians.
Council has rightly concerned itself with maintaining affordability for Edmontonians, but this commitment cannot begin and end with a property tax bill. Transportation is one of the core responsibilities of a municipality, and a fundamental need for everyone in the city. As the greater than expected need for the Ride Transit program and the continued above-population growth of transit ridership show, affordable and efficient transit are an essential part of keeping this city liveable and accessible for all, and must be funded appropriately.
Other Resources
Edmonton to fill $10M gap in revenue to keep low-income transit program – CBC
Edmonton transit ridership growing faster than city population – CTV News
Edmonton city council votes against ETS fare hike to cover deficit – City News