Rural and Indigenous communities in Canada have been and are chronically underserviced by public transit, creating transit deserts in which individuals are unable to travel safely to neighbouring communities for work, medical appointments, or leisure. This decision leaves thousands of people across Canada without an intercity bus service, forcing people going from one city to another to  commute by car, hitchhike or use unregulated ridesharing. 

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report highlights the need for adequate intercity bus transit as a key step to reconciliation. A national Intercity and Highway Bus Service, with ongoing funding and operational support, provides a Canada-wide opportunity to address the dangerous issue of isolation among Indigenous and remote communities moving us further along the road towards a more just and inclusive Canada. 

Now, more than ever, we need to invest in low-carbon public transit that will create jobs and connect people across this country to their families, communities and vital services. 

This means:

1. Working with provincial governments on the creation of a public, pan-canadian inter-city bus service as part of a robust climate and post-COVID recovery plan. 

2. The development of a National Intercity and Highway Bus Service Strategy developed in partnership with provincial and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, transit providers, VIA Rail Canada, and related advocacy organizations.