Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the Alberta government has discontinued funding its portion of the Low Income Transit Pass (LITP) program in Edmonton and Calgary. Each month, Sohi said the LITP is accessed by 25,000 low-income people, students, and seniors who require public transit access to get around Edmonton. “Defunding this program will make living more expensive for 25,000 Edmontonians,” tweeted Sohi on Tuesday..At a time when Edmontonians are struggling to meet their basic needs and demand for the LITP has increased 150% since 2016, he said the decision to defund it “shows that the province’s priorities are in the wrong place.”“Originally set as a three-year pilot program in 2017, this program has been incredibly successful, with evaluations showing that it reduced stress, removed barriers to transportation, and reduced social isolation for program participants,” he said. “Over 250,000 Ride Transit Program passes were sold in 2023 — an increase of approximately 20% from 2019.” Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek confirmed she had been informed about the Alberta government defunding the LITP and was appalled by the decision. "The Government of Alberta is walking away from providing support to struggling Calgarians by ending the long-standing provincial funding contribution to Calgary's Low Income Transit Pass program, as well as one-year funding for an additional seniors’ pass," said Gondek.“Calgary’s Low Income Transit Pass enables Calgarians to travel around the city to attend medical appointments, work and school.”At more than 119,000 passes issued through March, Gondek said this “is a much needed and well-used program that provides transit access to Calgarians living below the poverty line.” Its need is growing, with the number of passes sold increasing by 35% in the last year. Alberta Seniors, Community, and Social Services press secretary Alexandru Cioban said the government is spending $5 million to support transportation programs for low-income people in rural communities, where options are limited. "Alberta's government also provides over $3.5 million to low-income Albertans in social benefits to support them getting transportation across the province, including in Edmonton and Calgary," said Cioban. "We're also investing $887 million over three years for Edmonton LRT projects and $667 million over three years for Calgary LRT projects." Cioban acknowledged this spending will increase access to transit for all residents in Edmonton and Calgary. Since transit is a municipal responsibility in them, it will be spending more in services delivered by it such as homelessness supports and housing. Figures published in February showed Canadian government-subsidized transit operators have not experienced ridership levels similar to those from before the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE: Canadian public transit has long climb back to normal ridership levels“There remains some uncertainty as to whether urban activities and commuting will return to pre-pandemic patterns,” said Statistics Canada. Even with piecemeal gains in ridership by municipal operators across Canada, analysts counted 436 million fewer passenger trips in 2023 than in 2019.
