Canada/Drummondville wants to improve its public transit service

At a time when the major transit companies are evaluating scenarios to make up for their revenue shortfalls, the City of Drummondville is sending a message to the higher levels of government.

Faced with population growth over the past few years, the town is keen to improve its public transit service. According to the mayor, however, the project is almost impossible without increased government support.

According to the city, some 700,000 trips are recorded annually. This trend is on the rise, due in part to population growth in recent years. In order to offer more services, however, the budget for public transit will have to be increased from $5 million to $12 million annually.

The city, which uses a private carrier to provide the service, says it cannot absorb this amount. For Mayor Stéphanie Lacoste, who doesn't have the financial leverage of the big transit companies, it's clear that the government will have to do more in the coming years.

Since I don't have a transit company, I don't have access to any subsidies for this service. I can't afford to pass on the bill to Drummondville taxpayers. We agree that if public transit is really a social project, the other levels of government will have to fund us adequately so that we can improve the system in the regions.

She promises to continue to pursue the various levels of government over the coming months in the hope of finding a way through.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/