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Ontario providing funding for Oakville Transit

The funds cover approximately 10% of the Oakville Transit budget
Sheridan College Oakville Transit Bus
Sheridan College Oakville Transit Bus

Ontario is providing $2,864,686 in funding for Oakville Transit through Ontario’s Gas Tax program. 

The province is providing 109 municipalities that operate public transit with $375 million from the gas tax. The province intends for the the funding to be released as soon as possible.

“This is excellent news for Oakville,” said MPP Stephen Crawford. “Funding for public transit will help make it easier to get where you need to go while supporting economic recovery in our community.”

Like all public transit systems, Oakville Transit has been hit hard by the pandemic as ridership plummeted to record lows. Ridership had been increasing as restrictions lifted in the late spring, but still were below 2019 levels.  Other costs incurred as result of the pandemic by Oakville Transit included increased cleaning protocols, and significantly reduced passenger capacity. During this second "state of emergency", Oakville Transit has reduced some of its schedules, while maintaining over all services. 

The anticipated budget for 2021 for Oakville Transit is $28 million, and the impact of COVID-19 on Oakville Transit revenue is anticipated to be $4.9 million. The Town of Oakville budget for 2021 is forecasting ridership to be at 35% of 2019 level for January through March and slowly increase to 60% by September. 

Funding for the Gas Tax program is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Municipalities operating public transit receive two cents per litre of the provincial gas tax. Funding can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility and/or upgrade infrastructure.


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