Abstract Manager

This paper presents a recent detailed quantitative analysis of the economic and social benefits of investment in public transit operations and infrastructure, using the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) as the case study. Two modelling analyses are undertaken: (1) a macroeconomic model of transit investment impacts on the Canadian, Ontario and Toronto region economies; and (2) application of an agent/activity-based microsimulation model of travel behaviour in the Greater-Toronto-Hamilton Area (GTHA) to compute economic benefits associated with transit ridership as well as environmental and social impacts. Several scenarios involving either disinvestment or investment in transit services are investigated and compared, using “current” 2023 travel demand in the region as the base case. Ridership impacts include travel time savings for both transit riders and auto users, other auto user cost savings (parking, operating, tolls and auto ownership), and transit agency revenues. Environmental impacts include GHG reductions and health benefits due to reduced air pollution emissions. Social impacts include changes in accessibility to a wide range of activities, disaggregated by socio-economic group. Key findings of the study include:

1. Investment in public transit is beneficial to auto users as well as transit riders.
2. While concentrated in Ontario, the economic benefits of investment in the TTC are nationwide in scope.
3. For every one dollar invested in TTC operations and infrastructure, on average, over seven dollars in benefits are generated – highlighting the extreme importance of transit in the economic and social life of Canadian cities.