Rae announces Funding for Rural Public Transportation
[Perth-Wellington] – Today, Matthew Rae, MPP for Perth-Wellington announced that local municipalities will be receiving $882,866 to support rural public transportation through the 2024-25 Gas Tax program. This funding can be used to expand service hours, increase routes, purchase new vehicles and improve accessibility to increase transit ridership.
“Many people rely on public transportation in our rural communities,” said MPP Rae. “I’m glad the Government of Ontario continues to provide this type of predictable support for our rural municipalities and transit services year-over-year.”
“On behalf of the Municipality of West Perth, I want to express our appreciation to MPP Rae and the Province for this continued investment through the Gas Tax Program,” Walter Mackenzie, Mayor of West Perth said. “This funding plays an important role in supporting our local transit and infrastructure needs, helping us improve mobility and maintain essential services for our residents. These funds will continue to support West Perth Transit provided by Mitchell & Area Community Outreach.”
The Ontario government is investing over $380 million in 106 municipalities across Ontario to improve local transit through the Gas Tax program.
“No matter where you live, workers and families deserve access to fast, reliable and affordable public transit that connects them to good jobs and housing,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation. “Our government will continue to work with municipalities in every corner of our province to improve their transit systems so they can provide the services Ontarians depend on for decades to come.”
For 2024-25, municipal Gas Tax allocations have been maintained at 2023-24 levels. In addition to the Gas Tax program, the government supports municipal transportation projects through the Connecting Links program and the Ontario Transit Investment Fund.
Funding amounts as provided by the Ministry of Transportation:
| Municipality | Funding Amount |
| St. Marys | $163,485 |
| North Perth | $80,090 |
| Perth East | $73,121 |
| Stratford | $513,030 |
| West Perth | $53,140 |
| Total | $882,866 |