Developing Sustainable Transit Options for Small Communities

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Transit Systems in Small Canadian Communities: Background    2
Transit Systems in Small Canadian Communities: Opportunities and Challenges      2
Transit Systems in Small Canadian Communities: Financial Performance     3
Transit Systems in Small Canadian Communities: Principles for Action    4
Transit Systems in Small Canadian Communities: Meeting the Challenges 5
Case Study: Hinton Public Transit     7
Case Study: Peace River Transit      9
Case Study: Peace River Taxi – Pass Program     10
Considerations for Future Transit Development      12
Additional Resources and Recommended Reading      14
Bibliography        15

BACKGROUND

Rural areas and small towns across Canada are characterized by a combination of low population densities, large distances within or between communities and limited or no publically available affordable transportation services. Individuals in rural communities with populations under 50,000 have unique travel needs; and the absence of a large, concentrated population shifts the economics under which transit operates.

The following report defines small communities as having a population between 5,000 and 50,000. The report brings together a range of best practices used to develop transit systems in small communities by citing numerous online and academic sources. In addition, the NADC would like to acknowledge the Town of Hinton and the Town of Peace River for providing information on their respective public transit
systems.

IBF3