The Ontario government has announced a nearly $400 million investment to support public transit in more than 100 municipalities, including Chatham-Kent.
CK will receive a total of $977,552 that can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.
“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 Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney in a news release. “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.”
The funding is part of the province’s gas tax program, which provides municipalities two cents per litre of provincial gas tax revenue collected for supporting public transit services.
The provincial government has also added $80 million of one-time additional funding to this year’s gas tax program to make up for reduced gas sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic.