Rae Announces Funding for Rural Public Transportation
[Perth-Wellington] – Today, Matthew Rae, MPP for Perth-Wellington announced over $871K in funding for local public transportation. This funding represents a 7.7 percent increase in year over year funding levels.
“Many people rely on public transportation in our rural communities,” said Rae. “I’m glad the Government of Ontario is providing this funding to our local municipalities to continue to support rural public transportation.”
“It is great to see a year over year increase in total funding for Perth County, while cutting the gas tax and providing drivers with relief at the pumps,” said Rae.
The funding is part of the province’s gas tax program which will allocate more than $379.5 million to 107 municipalities to help them operate and improve local transit.
Funding for the gas tax program is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Municipalities that support public transit services in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenue collected.
To make up for reduced gas sales due to ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s gas tax program includes one-time additional funding of $80 million to help ensure municipalities can continue to support their transit systems.
“Public transit is a key driver of economic growth in Ontario, helping people get to where they need to go, whether it is to work, school, or run errands,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “As more people return to public transit, our government is providing municipalities with the funding they need to accommodate growing ridership, while ensuring they can continue to deliver safe and reliable transit service for people in their communities.”
Gas tax funding can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility, or upgrade local infrastructure.
Municipal transportation services will receive the following funding:
| Municipality | 2023 Funding |
| North Perth | $80,090 |
| Perth East | $73,121 |
| St. Marys (Perth South) | $163,485 |
| Stratford | $484,341 |
| West Perth | $70,947 |
| Total | $871,984 |