September 30, 1995

From a low of 5.4 billion passenger-kilometres (pkm) in 1970, travel on Canadian urban transit rose steadily, reaching 10.8 billion in 1986. It has been relatively stable since. While the number of transit riders grew in lockstep with the pkm of the mode throughout the 70s and 80s, it has fallen since, indicating that the average trip length has recently increased. This may reflect an attempt to serve ever more sprawling, low-density suburban areas with transit.

Source: http://www3.ec.gc.ca/~ind/English/Transpo/Tables/pttb06_e.HTM

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Of the five modes, urban transit’s share of the market for motorized passenger travel has been the most erratic. At its lowest, in 1970, transit carried 2.6% of the market for motorized passenger travel in Canada. Transit’s market share rose to a high of 3.4% in 1982, but has fallen steadily ever since.