Public transit makes our communities better places to live and work. But instead of building new transit systems that are transparent and accountable, governments and corporations are turning to privatization schemes through public-private partnerships (P3s).
When transit is planned and operated for profit, plans are secretive, it fails to meet community needs, and the public pays the price.
This backgrounder exposes the many ways privatized transit projects have failed and reminds us about the fundamental problems with any P3.
P3s let corporations profit from transit systems while the public gets stuck with service that’s unreliable, expensive, and sometimes unsafe.
Recent P3 transit projects like the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit system (LRT) in Toronto, Ottawa’s LRT, and the Réseau express métropolitain in Montreal have been significantly delayed, gone over budget, and are otherwise failing to meet the public’s needs. P3 cheerleaders even admit they have a “public perception” problem.
These P3 failures come when we need to expand our public transit system. As the climate crisis intensifies, electric-powered public transit will help cut greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to greener communities.
Public transit helps people get to work, school and essential public services, including equity-deserving groups such as remote, low-income, Indigenous, Black, and racialized populations, as well as seniors and people with disabilities.
The way forward is to build transit systems that are publicly planned, financed and operated, not secretive and expensive P3 schemes.
