September 21, 2026
For the first time in eight years, transit in Burlington is facing issues that could lead to higher fares and service cuts, depending partly on the choices voters make in October’s city elections.
The issues include on-demand (really “on-request”) transit and a new law that gives provincial politicians the right to set fares and routes for municipal systems.
On-demand transit would have riders would use an app on their phones to order a pickup at or near their homes and share a bus (usually a minibus) with a maximum of about 15 passengers. Riders would be dropped off at or near their destinations, or at connection points with major transit routes.
The new provincial law (Bill 98, the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act) is mainly about urban planning, but would give the provincial Minister of Transportation the power to set fares and dictate routes to local transit systems.
Positive elements
Both measures have their positive elements. On-demand transit could be a life-changer for mobility-challenged people who don’t qualify for the current system of specialized transit (Handivans), which has been unable to keep up with soaring demand. It might also lure new riders from their cars. Supporters of Bill 98 say the Minister’s new authority could open up better connections between municipal transit systems.
On-demand transit has been approved for a second pilot project, to be conducted next year by Burlington Transit. An earlier Burlington pilot had found the system to be inefficient for some applications, but more practical in providing transit service to rural or underserved areas of the city. Why we need a second study so soon after the one that has already been done is a question that should be answered. The cost and where the funds are coming from are also issues.
There are also significant potential problems with both developments.
The on-demand transit system promoted enthusiastically by one City Councillor in particular depends on a private company, Argo Transportation, with close ties to the governing Ontario Conservative party. It has signed agreements to provide pilot projects in Brampton and Caledon. The Brampton project cost about $11 million and covers an area of 16 square kilometres, about a quarter of the area currently served by Burlington Transit. If the cost per kilometre of this pilot project translated into similar costs for Burlington, we could be looking at huge hikes to the city’s transit budget to maintain the same level of service.
Government ties
The ties to the Conservative Party are worth examining. Argo’s Head of Business Operations has held high-level positions in the Ontario government for seven years and was named one of Queen’s Park’s top five most influential government staffers by iPolitics in 2023. The province facilitated integration with the PRESTO fare system. Patrick Brown, a former Ontario Conservative leader, led efforts to award the pilot project in his city through a closed Council session with no public disclosure. Efforts by Brampton media to obtain a copy of documents relating to the contract through freedom of information legislation forced the city to release them, but 90% of the information was redacted. The text of the contract is still secret.
“Is the purpose of Argo’s Brampton adventure to improve Brampton Transit Services or to make inroads into Mayor Patrick Brown’s well recorded and oft-stated aim of privatizing Transit in Brampton?” asked BFAST member Jim Young in a submission to City Council.
“Paying a private corporation to provide services that Burlington Transit is perfectly qualified to deliver sounds like a really bad and expensive idea for Burlington but a very good and profitable venture for Argo,” he said.
Bill 98 presents troubling possibilities in a number of areas. One of these is in the ability of the Minister of Transport to set routes and fares for municipal transit systems.
End of free transit?
Since 2008, the province has bumbled along in initiating a promised bus rapid transit system along Highway 5 (Dundas St.) that would run from Toronto to Waterdown. The project is only now in an early construction phase. Bill 98 would give the province the power to divert Burlington Transit resources to provide service along this line. This would involve either cuts in service to current BT routes or an increase in the city’s transit budget. BFAST believes service along this line should be provided by GO Transit.
Another possible problem with the legislation is the province’s ability to change municipal fares. For Burlington, this could mean the end of free transit for seniors and cuts to the discounted fares now offered to students.
There are many other reasons why transit users should make sure to vote in the upcoming municipal elections. We’ve outlined only two of them. BFAST has distributed copies of a survey to mayoral and Council candidates to get their thoughts on these and other issues. We will start to publish the results shortly.